Dame Angela Lansbury Passes Away at 96

Dame Angela Lansbury has passed away at 96.

Lansbury's family released the following 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. 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. A private family ceremony will be held at a date to be determined."

- The Family of Dame Angela Lansbury

Angela Lansbury enjoyed a career without precedent. Her professional career spanned more than 75 years, during which she flourished, first as a star of motion pictures, then as a four-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical star, and most recently as the star of "Murder, She Wrote," the longest running detective drama series in the history of television.

She was the winner of five Tony Awards, her Broadway debut was in 1957 in Hotel Paradiso, followed by A Taste of Honey (1960), Anyone Can Whistle (1964), and in Mame (1966), winning her first Tony. She also won Tonys for Dear World (1968), Gypsy (1974) and Sweeney Todd (1979). After a 23-year hiatus, she returned to Broadway in Deuce (2007) followed by Blithe Spirit (2009) winning a fifth Tony; A Little Night Music (2010), The Best Man (2012). In 2013 she toured Australia in Driving Miss Daisy, and in 2014 she reprised Blithe Spirit in London, winning the Olivier Award.

Angela Brigid Lansbury was born in London on October 16, 1925. Her father, Edgar Isaac Lansbury, was a timber merchant. Her mother, Moyna Macgill, was a popular actress. At age ten, Angela saw John Gielgud as "Hamlet" at the Old Vic and vowed that someday she would become an actress. She attended the Webber-Douglas School of Dramatic Art in London.

The American Theatre Wing has released the following statement:

"The American Theatre Wing mourns the loss of our Honorary Chair, Angela Lansbury, whose involvement with the Wing spanned 8 astonishing decades. She first entered our world as a student of the American Theatre Wing Professional School, and then graced the stage with an unrivaled string of unforgettable performances. She won 5 Tony Awards and a Special Tony for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre just this past June and hosted 5 Tony Award telecasts; the most in the history of the awards. As our Honorary Chair, she was a passionate advocate for the next generation of theatre makers. Rest in power, dear friend! You will be deeply, deeply missed."

- Heather Hitchens, President & CEO of the American Theatre Wing.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher praised Lansbury for her accomplishments on and off set.

"I was fortunate to have seen Dame Lansbury twice on Broadway, and she was even more captivating on stage as she was on television and film. What an amazing presence," Drescher said. "She was an inspiration both on and off stage, and I was personally a huge fan. Thank God she lived a good, long life as we were all blessed to bask in her light. I'm grateful that her body of work lives on to inspire generations to come. I will miss you terribly, Angela, you were one in a mil!"

Take a look back at the career of Dame Angela Lansbury HERE.