Linda Lavin, the longtime TV and Tony-winning stage actress best known for her Emmy-nominated role as the title character on the sitcom “Alice,” has died, according to her publicist. She was 87.
Lavin died Sunday from complications of a recently discovered lung cancer, according to the rep. She had been promoting her new Netflix series “No Good Deed,” and was shooting an upcoming Hulu comedy series “Mid-Century Modern” when she got the diagnosis.
Lavin’s career began on Broadway as a child actor in the 1960s, and was nominated for her first Tony in 1970. She would go on to six nominations, winning in 1986 for “Broadway Bound.”
Always with a foot in both TV and on stage, Lavin took a recurring role on the ABC cop-shop sitcom “Barney Miller” in 1975, which landed her the role of the titular truck-stop waitress in the 1976 sitcom “Alice.” The series ran for nine seasons on CBS.
It was the start of a TV career that would continue without interruption, picking up momentum in recent years with series-regular turns on NBC’s “Sean Saves the World” and CBS’ “9JKL” and “B Positive.” She filmed an episode of “Mid-Century Modern” earlier this month, alongside co-stars Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer and Nathan Lee Graham, and was expected to resume production in January.
“Working with Linda was one of the highlights of our careers,” “Mid-Century Modern” creators and executive producers Max Mutchnick, David Kohan and James Burrows said in a joint statement. “She was a magnificent actress, singer, musician, and a heat seeking missile with a joke. But more significantly, she was a beautiful soul. Deep, joyful, generous and loving. She made our days better. The entire staff and crew will miss her beyond measure. We are better for having known her.”
It was not immediately clear how the show, which had completed filming on seven of 10 episodes, would proceed.
“Our deepest and heartfelt condolences go to Linda Lavin’s family and loved ones,” 20th Television and Hulu said in a statement to TheWrap. “She was a legend in our industry, bringing her tremendous talent to audiences for over seven decades. She will be forever missed by her Mid-Century Modern family, as we mourn this incredible loss together.”
Lavin is survived by Steve Bakunas, her husband of 19 years.
