Broadway Actress and Star of 'Alice' Linda Lavin Dead at 87 After Battling Lung Cancer — 'She Was a Beautiful Soul'
Linda Lavin has died at age 87.
Dec. 30 2024, Published 12:54 p.m. ET
Linda Lavin, the legendary actress who slung sandwiches and sass as the title character on the 1970s sitcom Alice, has died at age 87.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the Emmy nominee and Tony winner was still a prolific working actress and was in the middle of filming a soon-to-be-released new series on Hulu.
The actress (right) is set to be seen on the upcoming Hulu comedy 'Mid-Century Modern'.
Lavin died unexpectedly on Sunday, RadarOnline.com can report, due to complications from recently discovered lung cancer. Her death shocked friends and loved ones, as she was still very active in Hollywood, promoting her new Netflix series No Good Deed and filming the upcoming Hulu comedy series Mid-Century Modern.
She first shot to stardom as Alice Hyatt in the small-screen adaptation of the1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. The show aired more than 200 episodes on CBS from 1976 to 1985 and enjoyed a long syndication run afterward.
Lavin played Alice Hyatt, a widow looking for a fresh start who moved with her young son to Phoenix, where she worked as a waitress at Mel's Diner, and traded barbs with customers and cooks.
Lavin was seen in public as recently as September.
But Lavin started out as a child star on stage and headed to New York City in the 1960s to make it there. Lavin would soon find success in musicals like It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Superman and the play Last of the Red Hot Lovers, which earned her the first of six Tony Award nominations in 1970.
She took home theatre's biggest honor in 1986 for her role in the Neil Simon play Broadway Bound.
Just days ago, she shared her rendition of 'The Christmas Song'
Lavin's career spanned decades, and she had been working as recently as this month on her new Hulu series, Mid-Century Modern, in which she starred alongside Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer and Nathan Lee Graham.
The men play "three best friends - gay men of a certain age - who decide to retire together to Palm Springs after an accidental death," according to the show's synopsis. Lavin played Sybil Schneiderman, mother of Lane's character, Bunny.
The show had already filmed seven episodes of its 10-episode order before taking off for the holiday break. Production was scheduled to resume in mid-January, but it is now unclear how producers will handle the unexpected passing of one of its leads.
Lavin (left) smiles next to 'No Good Deed' show creator Liz Feldman.
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The show's creators, Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, along with legendary sitcom director James Burrows, issued a joint statement following the news.
"Working with Linda was one of the highlights of our careers. She was a magnificent actress, singer, musician, and a heat-seeking missile with a joke.
"But more significantly, she was a beautiful soul. Deep, joyful, generous, and loving. She made our days better.
"The entire staff and crew will miss her beyond measure. We are better for having known her."
Earlier this month, Lavin lit up the red carpet for the premiere of Netflix's No Good Deed. The show's creator, Liz Feldman, shared a touching tribute to her on Instagram, along with a picture of the two smiling together.
Feldman captioned the photo: Oh sweet, brilliant, talented, beautiful @linda_lavin 🩷 Getting to work with you once was an honor and a joy.
She continued: "I just loved YOU. Being around you. In your magnetic orbit. That we got to collaborate again on No Good Deed was simply a gift.
"You were, as always, incredibly gracious, totally hilarious, and pitch-perfect. Ready to play and full of life. Your warmth and kindness was unparalleled.
"I just loved you. We all did."
Lavin is survived by her third husband, Steve Bakunas, who was with her when she died.
