Bedknobs and Broomsticks star Angela Lansbury has died at the age of 96, her children have confirmed.
The Hollywood actress appeared in theatre, television and several film roles and is most well known for starring in US drama Murder, She Wrote.
In a joint statement, her family announced: “The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are sad to announce that their mother died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30am today, Tuesday October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday.”
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Fans have since swarmed to Twitter to pass on their condolences to her family and pay tribute to her and the amazing films and TV shows she appeared in over the course of her career.
(Image: Getty Images)
One user penned: “Sad news about Angela Lansbury. Murder, She Wrote essential Sunday afternoon viewing back in the day. RIP.”
Another added: “‘Bringing humour and bringing happiness and joy to an audience is a wonderful opportunity in life, believe me’. Angela Lansbury. You have and so much more …Thank you. Rest in Heavenly peace.”
A third chimed in with: “In all seriousness, Angela Lansbury was an amazing, talented actor who has had iconic rolls throughout my lifetime, and of course before. It’s terrible to lose her.”
(Image: FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images)
London-born Angela first moved to America with her mother and two brothers in 1940 to escape the Blitz.
In 1942, Angela signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and obtained her first film roles in Gaslight in 1944 and The Picture of Dorian Gray in 1945, earning her two Oscar nominations and a Golden Globe Award.
Angela, who was born in London, later moved onto musical theatre, Lansbury finally gained stardom for playing the leafing role in the Broadway musical Mame in 1966, which earned her a range of awards.
(Image: PB/REX/Shutterstock)
Amid difficulties in her personal life, Angela from California to Ireland and continued with her theatrical work including leading roles in Gypsy, Sweeney Todd and The King and I.
Back in America, moving into television, Angela achieved worldwide fame as fictional writer and sleuth Jessica Fletcher in the American whodunit series Murder, She Wrote, which ran for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996, becoming one of the longest-running detective drama series in television history.
She also moved into voice work, contributing to animated films such as Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in 1991.
(Image: CBS via Getty Images)
Angela previously received an Honorary Oscar and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and won five Tony Awards, six Golden Globes, and a Oliver Award.
She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2014.
Angela is the mother of two children Anthony Peter and Deidre Ann.
The TV star was married twice, first to the actor Richard Cromwell, when she was 19 and he was 35.
(Image: Eugene Adebari/REX/Shutterstock)
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The pair eloped and were married in a small civil ceremony on September 27, 1945 but marriage ended in divorce in 1946.
The couple remained friends until his death in 1960.
In 1949, she married actor Peter Shaw, and they remained together for 54 years until his death in 2003; she asserted that “We had the perfect relationship. Not many people can say that.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
