Linda Lavin’s death was announced last night. She was 87 and apparently had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer.
What a shock. We saw her back in May at Lincoln Center’s fundraising gala and she couldn’t have looked better.
Lavin was famous for her 1970s TV sitcom, “Alice,” based on the Martin Scorsese movie, “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.”
Her list of TV credits is endless, and she has been working on a new series, “No Good Deed” right now. She also just appeared in CBS’s “Elsbeth.”
A Most Valued Player on Broadway, Linda had a Tony award for Neil Simon’s “Broadway Bound,” and a Tony nomination for “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife” with Michele Lee and Tony Roberts. In 2012, Lavin was sensational in “The Lyons,” playing a totally self-possessed Chanel wearing woman who never stopped talking and complaining. She was brilliant.
All of Lavin’s credits are on Wikipedia, of course. But she was one of those great character actresses who you always looked forward to seeing in a show. She was married three times. Her first husband was the late, great Ron Leibman.
Condolences to her family and friends.
