Mr Sheen praised his wife’s “talent, dedication, and vision”.
He said her drama academy had “touched countless lives and will continue to do so through the legacy of her work and through PQA where her vision and guidance has facilitated many young peoples’ progression and interest in the arts and enhanced their self-confidence”.
Quirke, 65, is best-known as an actress for her role as Sharon Theodopolopodous on the long-running sitcom Birds of a Feather, winning a British Comedy Award in 1990 for the role.
It ran from 1989 to 1998 on One, and then on ITV from 2014 to 2020.
The series followed the lives of sisters Tracey and Sharon, played by Linda Robson and Quirke, who have to fend for themselves after their husbands are arrested for armed robbery.
Quirke and Robson met as children at drama school in north London.
The pair also worked together in ITV comedy drama Shine On Harvey Moon, set in London’s post-war East End, from 1982 to 1985.
In 1997, Quirke was nominated for a Bafta award for playing convicted murderer Olive Martin in drama The Sculptress, based on Minette Walters’ psychological thriller novel.
She also received four National Television Awards nominations – three for Birds of a Feather and one for drama series Down to Earth in 2002.
Quirke also starred in detective drama Maisie Raine from 1998 to 1999, appeared in ITV’s Broadchurch, and played Hazel Rhodes in Emmerdale from 2010 to 2012.
