Linda Lavin, the actress known for her role as the title character in the sitcom Alice, has died at the age of 87.
The news was confirmed by Lavin’s PR representatives to Deadline, who said she passed away on Sunday (December 29) due to complications from recently discovered lung cancer.
She recently starred in the Netflix dark comedy No Good Deed alongside Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano, where she played Phyllis Adelman, the annoying neighbour to the show’s central couple. She had been promoting the show, which has only just premiered on the streaming service, as recently as this month.
Linda Lavin and Steve Bakunas at the ‘No Good Deed’ Los Angeles premiere at Tudum Theater on December 4, 2024. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
Lavin was also recently filming Mid-Century Modern, a new Hulu comedy series in which she plays one of the leads.
She is best remembered for Alice, the CBS sitcom that was based on Martin Scorsese’s 1974 film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her character was a widow who moves with her young son to start life over again in Phoenix, Arizona. The show ran for nine seasons between 1976 and 1985 and earned Lavin an Emmy nomination.
Lavin was born on October 15, 1937 in Portland, Maine and was a child stage actor. She won early acclaim for appearances in It’s A Bird, It’s A Plane…It’s Superman and Last Of The Red Hot Lovers and picked up a total of six Tony nominations in her career.
In recent years, she also appeared in shows such as NBC’s Sean Saves The World and CBS’ 9JKL.
No Good Deed creator Liz Feldman has paid tribute to Lavin, writing on Instagram: “Getting to work with you once was an honor and a joy. I loved writing for you on 9JKL all those years ago. 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.”
“I’m so glad I got to see you a few weeks ago at the premiere and introduce you to my parents. They were thrilled to meet you. And my father made it very clear to me that you were his favorite part of No Good Deed. He wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Thank you for letting me into your stunning orbit. And for allowing me to spin with you for a while.”
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