Judy Carne, best known to fans as the Sock It to Me girl on “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,” has died at the age of 76, according to multiple media reports.
Carne was born in Northampton, England. Her first role onscreen came in 1961 when she guest starred on an episode of the British spy series “Danger Man” opposite Patrick McGoohan, according to her official IMDB page.
She became endeared to American audiences, however, when she was a regular performer on the first two seasons of the NBC sketch series “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.” She would often use the phrase “Sock it to me,” which led to her getting doused with water. The show also famously served as a launching pad for such comic actors as Henry Gibson, Lily Tomlin and Goldie Hawn.
Carne was also married to Burt Reynolds from 1963 to 1965. She would later write that she had affairs with both sexes during the marriage and struggled with drug addiction, notably heroin. She was also briefly married to producer Robert Bergman from 1970 to 1971.
Despite her struggles with drugs, Carne continued working throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s, appearing on shows like “Love, American Style,” “Get Christie Love!” and “On the Line.” Her last credited role came in the 1993 film “What About Me.”
Carne returned to Northampton and began writing her autobiography, “Laughing on the Outside, Crying on the Inside: The Bittersweet Saga of the Sock-It-To-Me Girl,” which was released in 1985. She reportedly died in Northampton on Sept. 3.