Dame Angela Lansbury has passed away at 96 years old.
Tuesday, the legendary actress passed away peacefully at her home in Los Angeles.
“The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are heartbroken to say that their mother passed away quietly in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday,” her family announced in a statement.
During her decades-long career, the London-born actress won numerous prizes, including five Tonys and an honorary Oscar.
In an effort to escape the Blitz, Lansbury emigrated to the United States in the 1940s and studied acting at the Feagin School of Dramatic Art in New York City.
In 1944, Lansbury co-starred in the psychological thriller “Gaslight” with Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, and Joseph Cotten.
Lansbury’s performance garnered her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
She then starred in “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” for which she was nominated for two Academy Awards and a Golden Globe.
Lansbury also starred in the 1962 film “The Manchurian Candidate,” for which her portrayal received tremendous recognition.
Her great success came on stage in 1966, when she performed in the Broadway musical “Mame.” She received her first Tony Award for her performance.
Lansbury featured in the stage musicals “Gypsy” and “Sweeney Todd,” as well as the Disney films “Bedknobs and Broomsticks” (1971) and “Beauty and the Beast” (1991).
Tuesday, December 9, 2008, Angela Lansbury speaks at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences 2008 Hall of Fame Ceremony in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by AP/Matt Sayles)
Despite this, Lansbury may be most known for her role as amateur detective Jessica Fletcher in the popular television series “Murder, She Wrote.”
The show ran for 12 seasons, from 1984 to 1996, and was a tremendous hit, attracting more than 30 million people each week during its heyday.
Lansbury, who was inducted into the TV Hall of Fame in 1996 and appointed a Dame by Queen Elizabeth in 2014, stated, “Murder, She Wrote has brought me more worldwide recognition than any other film or stage character I’ve played.”
“It’s amazing to be recognized in Spain, Portugal, Paris, France, Germany, and everywhere else.”
Lansbury is survived by her children Anthony, Deirdre, and David, as well as her grandkids Peter, Katherine, and Ian.