Jessica Fletcher on Murder, She Wrote. Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast. Miss Eglantine Price in Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Nancy Oliver in Gaslight.
Dame Angela Lansbury is an absolute legend of stage, the small screen, and film. Her career spanned 77 years.
On Tuesday, October 11, her family announced that she had passed away.
The beloved actress was 96 years old.
“The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are sad to announce that their mother died,” the Lansbury family’s statement began.
They detailed that she passed “peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30 a.m. today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022.”
Her passing took place, they acknowledged, “just five days shy of her 97th birthday.”
“In addition to her three children, Anthony, Deirdre and David,” the statement continued.
The Lansbury family noted that “she is survived by three grandchildren, Peter, Katherine, and Ian.”
The statement added: “plus five great grandchildren and her brother, producer Edgar Lansbury.”
“She was proceeded in death by her husband of 53 years, Peter Shaw,” the Lansbury family statement added.
The statement then concluded: “A private family ceremony will be held at a date to be determined.”
Our hearts go out to all of her loved ones at this time. And of course we, like millions of other fans, all mourn her.
It is difficult to describe Dame Lansbury’s career, either in scope or cultural impact. She began acting in 1940. To say that she entertained and inspired generations is no understatement.
She was born in London in 1925. Her mother helped to launch her career, enrolling her in arts school.
Eventually, the family relocated to New York and then to Los Angeles. There, at 17, Angela Lansbury’s MGM screen test at 17 landed her an indelible role in Gaslight.
Lansbury became a favorite on more than just the silver screen. She was also a Broadway darling.
At all times, she behaved as a consummate professional — reserved, thoughtful, and resistant to flattery.
In the 1980s, she launched what may be her most iconic role, portraying protagonist Jessica Fletcher on twelve seasons of Murder, She Wrote.
Murder, She Wrote holds a place in history for its cast of hundreds of actors who came and went.
The series also functions as a guided tour of changing fashions, technology, and societal concerns from the early eighties through the mid-nineties.
Many Millennials can watch the series (notably, a lot of us did this during the early months of the pandemic) and pinpoint the precise moment when the hair and clothing looked like “grown-ups” did during our earliest memories.
The show is a time capsule — and a showcase of Dame Lansbury’s phenomenal acting talent, her passion, and her impact.
That passion also extended to other aspects of her life. Despite her desire for privacy, Lansbury was active in charity.
During the 1980s, when governments and other organizations turned a blind eye, Dame Lansbury helped to raise millions for AIDS patients as the virus ravaged the LGBTQ+ community.
We are still reeling ourselves from the enormity of her loss.
For those of us who wish to honor her memory, she has a boundless catalogue of material to watch, from Gaslight to Law & Order and everything in between.
If you have the Peacock streaming service, well, there are 12 seasons of Murder, She Wrote at your fingertips. If that is not your style, then honor her in your own way — we certainly will.