Actress Mira Furlan, who played Minbari Ambassador Delenn on “Babylon 5” and Danielle Rousseau on “Lost,” has died. She was 65.
Furlan’s agent Chris Roe confirmed her passing to TheWrap via the following statement:
“It is with great sadness that I confirm the passing of Mira Furlan. She was a woman full of kindness, strength and compassion. Mira passed away on Wednesday, January 20, following complications from West Nile Virus. She died peacefully at her home in Los Angeles, surrounded by her family. We will all continue to celebrate her life and legacy, and know she’ll always be here with us.”
On Thursday, “Babylon 5” creator J. Michael Straczynski shared a lengthy statement accompanied by this tweet: “It is a night of great sadness, for our friend and comrade had gone down the road where we cannot reach her. But as with all things, we will catch up with her in time, and I believe she will have many stories to tell us, and many new roles to share with the universe.”
Straczynski’s statement said “we’ve known for some time now that Mira’s health was failing.”
“I’m not sure that this is the right time or place to discuss the sheer randomness of what happened… and have all been dreading this day,” he continued. “We kept hoping that she would improve. In a group email sent to the cast a while back, I heard that she might be improving. Then came the call from Peter Jurasik. ‘I wanted you to know that [her husband Goran Gajić’s] bringing Mira home,” he said. ‘Do you mean, he’s bringing her home as in she’s better now, or is he bringing her home as in he’s bringing her home?’ ‘He’s bringing her home, Joe,’ Peter said, and I could hear the catch in his voice as he said it.”
Furlan is best known for starring as Delenn in the five-season run of “Babylon 5,” from 1994-1998, and for playing scientist Danielle Rousseau from 2004-2010 on ABC’s “Lost.”
The actress, who immigrated to the U.S. with her husband Gajic in the ’90s from the former Yugoslavia, also appeared in the movie “When Father Was Away on Business.”
— Mira Furlan (@FurlanMira) January 22, 2021
It is a night of great sadness, for our friend and comrade had gone down the road where we cannot reach her. But as with all things, we will catch up with her in time, and I believe she will have many stories to tell us, and many new roles to share with the universe. pic.twitter.com/HyQlqyC19v
— J. Michael Straczynski (@straczynski) January 22, 2021