Absolutely. One of the most ridiculous jump the shark moments the show has ever done, and it's done some blinders in its time. It was a pointless, ill thought out death, and even the show seems to realize how much better so many of the storylines would be if Pat could have been involved. I have no idea what they were smoking when they let Bryan Kirkwood kill her off. Absolutely no idea.
She wasn't going forever. They've pretty much admitted that. A character with heaps of history, tonnes of connections, a legendary Eastenders character basically, played by an actress who simply wanted a break and would very likely have returned. There was no sense, no sense at all, in killing her off. To this day, her death is felt, but I get the impression the present production team feel it with frustration. They want her to be in it, and she can't be.