Last Updated on December 30, 2024, 12:20 PM AST by Anthony Morris
Linda Lavin, the actress from hit TV series ‘Alice’ and busy Broadway actress, passed away at the age of 87, on Sunday, December 29, 2024.
The Emmy-nominated actress died in Los Angeles because of complications from lung cancer, which she discovered only recently.
Her death was unexpected as she was promoting her new Netflix series ‘No Good Deed’ as of this month while also filming for her upcoming comedy series Mid-Century Modern.
She was known for her role in the 1976 – 1985 sitcom Alice, in which she portrayed the role of a widow who decided to start her new life with her young son in a new place.
Lavin was also part of the 1986 play Broadway Bound, a semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon, where she played the role of Kate Jerome, mother of Eugene and Stanley.
Linda Lavin’s Career
Linda Lavin was an American actress and singer, born in 1937 in Portland, US, graduated from College of William & Mary, and studied acting at HB Studio.
Lavin was also child actress and started appearing in Broadway in the 1960s, receiving her first Tony Award nomination in 1970 for Last of the Red Hot Lovers.
She started working on television in 1973 after moving to Hollywood, doing regular appearances on the sitcom Barney Miller, getting her first title role on the popular comedy sitcom Alice.
Linda Lavin’s Personal Life
Linda Lavin was married three time – first marriage with Ron Leibman that ended in a divorce in 1981, second marriage with Kip Niven, one of her co-star in Alice, which also ended in a divorce.
Her third marriage was with Steve Bakunas (artist / musician) in 2005, and while she had no biological children, she actively participated as a step mother for the children of her second and third husband.
She founded The Linda Lavin Arts Foundation in Wilmington in 1997, with the aim to promote performing and visual arts, and arts education.
The foundation created a theatre program ‘Girl Friends’, with a purpose to raise the self-esteem of teenage girls.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
