Tony and Golden Globe-winning Broadway actress Linda Lavin dies aged 87

Linda Lavin, Tony and Golden Globe-winning actress and singer, best known for her role in the CBS sitcom Alice, died yesterday aged 87.

Her passing was sudden and unexpected, a representative confirmed. The actress had been recently diagnosed with lung cancer.

The news of her death comes as a shock as Lavin had been promoting her new Netflix series No Good Deed, as well as filming the upcoming comedy series Mid-Century Modern.

Over the course of a career that spawned across almost eight decades, since her first role at the age of 5 in William & Mary. In the 1960s, Lavin knew her first big break in New York by playing in Broadway musicals and plays, including the 1966 musical It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman.

However, she was best known for the television show Alice, which follows a widowed mother attempting to pursue her dreams of being a singer while working at a diner. She played the titular character during the show’s entire decade-long run between 1976 and 1985.

For this role, Lavin won two Golden Globes, was nominated a third time, and was also nominated for an Emmy Award.

She spent the following years hopping between television film and theatre, earning a Tony award for her lead role in the 1986 play Broadway Bound, as well as more Tony nominations for several other projects.

Her most recent performance was in the Netflix show No Good Deed, following three families fighting to buy the same house – which was released earlier this month.

Hulu and 20th Television, the studio behind the upcoming Mid-Century Modern, issued a joint statement following Lavin’s death.

“Our deepest and heartfelt condolences go to Linda Lavin’s family and loved ones,” the companies said. “She was a legend in our industry, bringing her tremendous talent to audiences for over seven decades. She will be forever missed by her Mid-Century Modern family, as we mourn this incredible loss together.”

Lavin is survived by her husband of 19 years Steve Bakunas, who was with her when she died.