Winona Ryder has been forced to pull out of a planned appearance at a Samuel Beckett festival in Northern Ireland next week.

The actor had been due to read two of Beckett's prose poems at the Happy Days Enniskillen International Beckett festival in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh but, according to festival director Sean Doran, a bereavement means she can no longer attend.

Doran said: "I heard from Winona last night that she had just lost a dear friend and would not now be able to come ... She was very apologetic and saddened at not being able to come as planned as she had been very much looking forward to taking part... It is of course a great shame that Winona will not be joining us this year."

Securing Ryder's participation had been something of a coup for the festival, in which "tellers" read Beckett's work in a variety of locations in the town. Other celebrity tellers this year will include Miranda Richardson, Juliet Stevenson and comedian Frank Skinner.

Doran said Ryder hopes to be able to attend the festival next year.