Linda Lavin, best known for her starring role in the 1970s TV sitcom “Alice,” has died. TMZ confirmed that the actress passed away Sunday in Los Angeles from complications of lung cancer, a recent diagnosis.
Lavin began her career on Broadway in the late 1960s before moving to Hollywood in the 1970s. In 1976, she landed the title role of Alice Hyatt in the CBS show, “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” based on the Martin Scorsese film. The sitcom, later shortened to “Alice,” followed a widowed waitress supporting her son at Mel’s Diner in Phoenix, Arizona. Lavin’s portrayal of Alice became iconic for working mothers, and the show ran until 1985. For her performance, she won two Golden Globe Awards and received a third nomination.
Beyond “Alice,” Lavin’s career spanned numerous other projects. She appeared in the popular 1970s sitcom “Barney Miller” and starred in several Neil Simon Broadway plays, including “Last of the Red Hot Lovers” and “Broadway Bound,” for which she won a Tony Award (she received four nominations in total).
Lavin was 87 years old. R.I.P.