‘Murder She Wrote’ And ‘ Beauty And The Beast’ Actress Dame Angela Lansbury Dead At 96

Hollywood legend Dame Angela Lansbury has sadly passed away on Tuesday, just a few days before what would have been her 97th birthday.

Lansbury Passes Away

Daily Mail reported that Lansbury’s death was confirmed by her family in a brief statement. 

“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 AM today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday,” the statement read. 

Lansbury was preceded in death by Peter Shaw, her husband of 53 years that passed away in 2003. The family also revealed that a private ceremony in the renowned actress’s honor will be held at a yet-to-be-determined date.

Lansbury’s Career

Born in London in 1925, Lansbury had an incredibly successful decades-long career in film, television, and on the stage. She was nominated for three Oscars for her remarkable work in the film industry, earning her first two nominations before she was even 20 years old for her roles in 1944’s Gaslight and 1945’s The Picture Of Dorian Gray.

Lansbury’s third Oscar nomination came in 1962’s The Manchurian Candidate; unfortunately, she never got to take the coveted trophy home. The actress did receive an Honorary Award in 2013, given for lifetime achievements, exceptional contributions to motion picture arts and sciences, and outstanding service to the Academy.

Other famous film roles included starring performances in Disney classics like Bedknobs And Broomsticks and Beauty and the Beast. Watch her perform her most famous song from the latter with the Tabernacle Choir in 2001 in the video below.

While she may not have won an Academy award for her roles in movies, the actress did manage to take home a total of six Tony Awards for her outstanding work on Broadway, which include 4 awards for “Best Actress in a Musical” (Mame, Dear World, Gypsy, and Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street), one for “Best Featured Actress in a Play” for Blithe Spirit, and a “Lifetime Achievement Award” in June of 2022.

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Lansbury’s Most Famous Role 

Fans may arguably best remember Lansbury for the role of the mystery writer Jessica Fletcher in the hit television show Murder She Wrote, which ran for 12 seasons from 1984 through 1996. She was nominated for 18 Emmy Awards for her career in television; in spite of never receiving one, she was always grateful for the success of Murder She Wrote.

“We found our audience and they were loyal to the end,” Lansbury said of the program’s loyal fanbase in a 1998 interview. 

While receiving an honorary Oscar in 2013, Lansbury talked about the long-lasting fame Murder She Wrote had given her. 

“‘Murder, She Wrote’ has given me more worldwide attention than any other role I played in the movies or on the stage,” she said at the time. “It’s a wonderful thing to be known in Spain, Portugal, in Paris, in France and Germany and everywhere.”

Check out her full acceptance speech in the video below.

Lansbury Honored By The Queen

Lansbury was recognized by Queen Elizabeth II, who died just one month ago at the same age of 96, as a Dame Commander of the British Empire during a ceremony at Windsor Castle in 2014.

“It is a very proud day for me to be recognized by the country of my birth, and to meet the queen under these circumstances is a rare and lovely occasion,” Lansbury said as she received this honor.

Related: New Details Emerge About Queen Elizabeth’s Final Days At Balmoral

Lansbury is survived by three children, three grandchildren, five grandchildren, and a brother. She is also leaving behind millions of adoring fans from all over the world who will surely miss her dearly.

From Betty White, to Queen Elizabeth, to Loretta Lynn, to Angela Lansbury, 2022 certainly has taken some of our most beloved female icons from us. May they all rest in peace, and prayers especially for Lansbury’s loved ones today.