Angela Lansbury, one of the most iconic actresses in Hollywood, has died.
She was 96.
According to People, Lansbury passed away in her sleep Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles.
“The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are sad to announce that their mother died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30 a.m. today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday,” her family says in a statement obtained by the outlet.
“In addition to her three children, Anthony, Deirdre and David, she is survived by three grandchildren, Peter, Katherine and Ian, plus five great grandchildren and her brother, producer Edgar Lansbury,” the statement adds.
“She was proceeded in death by her husband of 53 years, Peter Shaw.”
“A private family ceremony will be held at a date to be determined.”
Lansbury was born on October 16, 1925 in London, England.
Her mother, Moyna Macgill, was well known for her work on the West End.
Her father was a timber merchant, and her grandfather was the leader of England’s Labour Party.
At age 19, Lansbury netted a best-supporting actress Oscar nom for her very first film role, George Cukor’s Gaslight (1944).
The star was nominated for several awards throughout her time in the spotlight.
Lansbury is best known for Murder, She Wrote, in which she played Jessica Fletcher — a role she had no intention of accepting.
“I couldn’t imagine I would ever want to do television,” Lansbury said in a 1985 interview with The New York Times.
“But the year 1983 rolled around and Broadway was not forthcoming, so I took a part in a miniseries, Gertrude Whitney in Little Gloria, Happy at Last [a dramatization of Gloria Vanderbilt‘s childhood].
“And then [there was] a slew of roles in miniseries, and I began to sense that the television audience was very receptive to me, and I decided I should stop flirting and shut the door or say to my agents, ‘I’m ready to think series.’”
The series was a huge hit, running from 1984-96 and spawning four television movies.
In addition to Murder, She Wrote, Lansbury’s extensive list of credits includes The World of Henry Orient, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Beauty and the Beast, Death on the Nile, and many more.
Lansbury was also an established theatre star, racking up a string of widely praised roles.
May Angela Lansbury rest in peace.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
