Linda Lavin, an award-winning actress known for starring in the beloved sitcom “Alice,” has died. She was 87.
Lavin had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer, and passed away on Sunday from complications of the disease, a representative told the Associated Press.
She had been active in the weeks leading up to her death, making an appearance earlier this month at the Los Angeles premiere of the Netflix series “No Good Deed,” in which she appears.
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Lavin seemed to know from an early age that she was destined for life as an actress, moving to New York City after graduating from college. Her first big break came when she was cast in a musical on Broadway called “It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane … It’s Superman.”
In 1969, she was nominated for her first Tony for her work in “Last of the Red Hot Lovers.”
By the 70s, she made the move to Los Angeles, where she began getting jobs as a TV actress. She appeared in an episode of “Rhoda,” then landed a small recurring role in “Barney Miller.”
It was in 1976 that she was chosen to star in a new CBS sitcom based on Ellen Burstyn’s Oscar-winning waitress comedy-drama, “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.”
The title was shortened to “Alice,” and Lavin became a role model for working moms as Alice Hyatt, a widowed mother with a 12-year-old son working in a roadside diner outside Phoenix. The show, with Lavin singing the theme song “There’s a New Girl in Town,” ran from 1976 to 1985.
The show turned “Kiss my grits” into a catchphrase and co-starred Polly Holliday as waitress Flo and Vic Tayback as the gruff owner and head chef of Mel’s Diner.
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The series bounced around the CBS schedule during its first two seasons but became a hit leading into “All in the Family” on Sunday nights in October 1977. It was among prime time’s top 10 series in four of the next five seasons. Variety magazine listed it among the all-time best workplace comedies.
When “Alice” ended, Lavin continued working in Hollywood, though she did head back to Broadway for a bit. In 1987, she won a Tony Award for best actress after appearing in Neil Simon’s “Broadway Bound.”
She took several roles on stage in the years following her success on “Alice,” including a turn in the musical “Gypsy” in 1990. Her most recent role there was in 2016 in “Our Mother’s Brief Affair.”
Lavin continued working up until her death. In addition to her work in “No Good Deed,” she appeared in an episode of “Elsbeth” this year. Last year, she did voice work for an episode of “Bob’s Burgers.”
She is survived by her husband, Steve Bakunas.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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