An actress who spanned generations has died. Shelley Fabares was 82 years old.
Fabares’ family announced her death, telling The Associated Press that she passed in Los Angeles on Aug. 22.
No cause was given.
She was born in Santa Monica, California, in 1944 and started acting as a child with her first television credit at 10 when she appeared on “The Loretta Young Show.”
Her career spanned the small screen on shows such as “The Twilight Zone” and “Our Town,” and the big screen in “Never Say Goodbye.”
Fabares’ biggest role, however, was as Mary Stone in “The Donna Reed Show” from 1958 to 1963, the AP reported.
“I think the years on ‘The Donna Reed Show,’ the years from 14 to 19, were so incredibly important,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “Donna Reed was simply an extraordinary woman, a woman of great strength, kindness, integrity and compassion. I am not trying to make her sound like a saint, but she had the most profound influence on me. I carry her with me today.”
She also co-starred with Elvis Presley three times in his films “Girl Happy,” “Spinout” and “Clambake.”
Fabares played Christine Armstrong, the on-screen wife of Craig T. Nelson on his ABC sitcom “Coach.”
He said of his former co-star, “Shelley was a great and grand lady… just a rock. I will miss her. She was a foundational part of my life during the run of Coach,” in a statement to Entertainment Weekly.
The statement continued she was “just an extraordinary woman. She always had a smile. She was welcoming in the midst of chaos and always someone I could go to for advice and counsel, not only myself but others as well. I’ll remember you with love, Shelley Fabares.”
She was not only an actress, but also a singer, with the hit “Johnny Angel.” It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1962, selling more than a million copies and earning gold certification, according to Deadline.
Fabares had been diagnosed with liver failure after experiencing an esophageal bleed in 1999. She was on a liver transplant list for 22 months, finally getting a new organ in October 2000, the AP reported.
She leaves behind her husband, “M-A-S-H” actor Mike Farrell.
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