Entertainment
Murder, She Wrote star Dame Angela Lansbury dies aged 96-Rishma Dosani-Entertainment – Metro
She died just days before her birthday.
Angela Lansbury has died aged 96 (Picture: AP)
Dame Angela Lansbury has died at the age of 96.
The screen icon, most known for her roles in Murder, She Wrote and Beauty and the Beast, died at her home in LA earlier today.
Her family confirmed the news, revealing her death came just days before her 97th birthday.
‘The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are sad to announce that their mother died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30 a.m. today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday,’ it read.
‘In addition to her three children, Anthony, Deirdre and David, she is survived by three grandchildren, Peter, Katherine and Ian, plus five great grandchildren and her brother, producer Edgar Lansbury.
‘She was proceeded in death by her husband of 53 years, Peter Shaw.’
Her family confirmed the news of her death in a statement (Picture: Getty)
The statement, shared via People Magazine, concluded: ‘A private family ceremony will be held at a date to be determined.’
Dame Angela’s cause of death has not been confirmed.
The London-born actress made her debut on the big screen when she was just 19 years old, with her turn as Nancy in Gaslight propelling her to superstardom.
She landed an Oscar nomination for the stint in 1944, and then got her second Academy award nomination the following year after stealing the show as Sibyl Vane in The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Dame Angela’s most famous role came in Murder, She Wrote (Picture: Rex)
In 1962, she was tipped for another gong after her work in the Manchurian Candidate, before finally accepting an honorary Oscar in 2013.
Dame Angela also commanded attention in Nanny McPhee, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Death on the Nile, The Lady Vanishes and voiced the beloved Mrs Potts in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
As well as this, she was a regular on the small screen, appearing in The Man from U.N.C.L.E, The First Christmas, and a Talent for Murder among many others.
Her most notable role came as the mystery author Jessica Fletcher on CBS’ long-running series, Murder, She Wrote, in which she starred opposite Tom Bosley, William Windom and Ron Masak.
The hugely popular program first aired in 1984 and ran for 12 seasons until May, 1996.
Speaking about her stint as Jessica, Dame Angela told the New York Times in 2009: ‘I had a lot of say in it, and I didn’t want the character to be quirky.
‘I wanted her to be real. I didn’t want to have to put on any kind of veneer for 24 hours a day, which is what a television schedule sometimes feels like.’
Dame Angela commanded the stage and screen in an incredible career (Picture: Rex)
‘Murder, She Wrote has given me more worldwide attention than any other role I played in the movies or on the stage,’ she added of the drama.
‘It’s a wonderful thing to be known in Spain, Portugal, in Paris, in France and Germany and everywhere.’
She was inducted into the TV Hall of Fame in 1996, and later made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth in 2014.
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As well as her time on our screens, Dame Angela also boasted an award-winning stage career.
She landed her first starring role on the stage at the age of 41, as Mame Dennis in musical Mame – a part that landed her the first of her six Tony Awards – before going on to star in Dear World, Gypsy and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Dame Angela is survived by her three children, Anthony, Deirdre and David, and her three grandchildren, Peter, Katherine and Ian.
This is a breaking news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.
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