THE Broadway star Linda Lavin has died at the age of 87 – just weeks after attending the premiere of her new Netflix show.
Lavin, who was known for her role in the sitcom Alice, died unexpectedly in Los Angeles on December 29, her representative said.
She had suffered complications from lung cancer that had recently been discovered, per Deadline.
Lavin’s career spanned decades, and she received a Tony award for her role in the 1986 play Broadway Bound.
Tributes have been paid to Lavin following her death.
“She was a magnificent actress, singer, musician, and a heat-seeking missile with a joke,” producers Max Mutchnick, David Kohan, and James Murrows said.
“But more significantly, she was a beautiful soul. Deep, joyful, generous, and loving.”
Her death comes just weeks after she was promoting the new Netflix series No Good Deed.
She attended the show’s premiere on December 4.
It turned out to be her final red carpet appearance.
The first episode of the dark comedy aired on the streaming platform on December 12, and Lavin played the character Phylis Adelman.
The show also features the actresses Lisa Kudrow and Linda Cardellini.
Lavin, from Maine, also appeared on the Hulu show Mid-Century Modern.
A Hulu spokesperson described the screen star as a “legend.”
“She will be forever missed by her Mid-Century Modern family, as we mourn this incredible loss together.”
Lavin’s career on stage and screen spanned decades.
She appeared in the 1960s musicals It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman – a show inspired by the comic book series – and the play Last of the Red Hot Lovers.
Lavin featured in more than 200 episodes of Alice over nine years, from 1976 to 1985.
She also played Edie Kurland in the American sitcom series Room for Two, which also featured Patricia Heaton.
In an X post, Heaton described the late actress as a “true friend and total force of nature.”
Lavin’s credits also included hit shows such as The Sopranos, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and the drama series The O.C.
More recently, she appeared in the popular series The Good Wife and more than a dozen episodes of the sitcom 9JKL.
Lavin was also a voice actor for TV series such as Bob’s Burgers and Courage the Cowardly Dog and the 2022 movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules.
She is survived by her husband, Steve Bakunas, a drummer, who she married in 2005.
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