Shelley Fabares, an actor who was a for decades from her days as a young teenager on 鈥淭he Donna Reed Show,鈥� through 鈥淥ne Day at a Time鈥� and 鈥淐oach,鈥� has died. She was 82.
She died Saturday in Los Angeles, her family said in a statement to The Associated Press. No cause was given.
鈥淭o her family and friends, Shelley was a source of love, strength, laughter, and comfort,鈥� her family wrote. 鈥淪he had a remarkable ability to make people feel welcomed, valued, and cared for.鈥�
Fabares was born in Santa Monica, California, in 1944, and started acting as a young child. Her first television credit came at age 10 when she appeared on 鈥淭he Loretta Young Show.鈥� Many movies and television shows followed: She acted with , and Eva Marie Saint in a Producers Showcase production of 鈥淥ur Town鈥�; was in the Rosalind Russell movie 鈥淭he Girl Rush鈥� and the Rock Hudson drama 鈥淣ever Say Goodbye.鈥� Other early credits include 鈥淎nnette,鈥� 鈥淐aptain Midnight鈥� and the 鈥淏lack Leather Jackets鈥� episode of 鈥淭he Twilight Zone.鈥�
Her biggest break came when she was cast as Mary Stone on 鈥淭he Donna Reed Show,鈥� where she was a regular from 1958 through 1963. During that time she also got a recording contract and had two Top 40 hits including 鈥淛ohnny Angel.鈥� In the early 1960s, she also co-starred in three movies with : 鈥淕irl Happy,鈥� 鈥淪pinout鈥� and 鈥淐lambake.鈥�
鈥淚 think the years on 鈥楾he Donna Reed Show,鈥� the years from 14 to 19, were so incredibly important,鈥� Fabares told the Los Angeles Times in 1993. 鈥淒onna Reed was simply an extraordinary woman, a woman of great strength, kindness, integrity and compassion. I am not trying to make her sound like a saint, but she had the most profound influence on me. I carry her with me today.鈥�
In the late 1970s, Fabares made an impression as Francine Webster on the CBS sitcom 鈥淥ne Day at a Time.鈥� She also played wife in 鈥淏rian鈥檚 Song.鈥� One of her biggest roles came when she was cast as Christine Armstrong in 鈥淐oach,鈥� although the show took a minute to find its audience.
鈥淚 did always feel from the very beginning if they could find the right spot for us, this was a show that would last,鈥� she said in the 1993 Los Angeles Times interview.
Fabares married twice, first to producer Lou Adler in 1964. She had been married to 鈥淢(asterisk)A(asterisk)S(asterisk)H鈥� actor Mike Farrell since 1984. She was also a devoted advocate for Alzheimer鈥檚 awareness, which affected her mother.
In early 1999, a visit to the emergency room for an esophageal bleed revealed that she had progressive liver failure. After spending 22 months on a waiting list, she had liver transplant surgery in October 2000.
In an interview with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles three years after the transplant, she said she’d been 鈥渃hanged by the experience鈥� and was eternally grateful to Farrell who was with her 鈥渆very step of the way.鈥�
Her family, in their statement, said 鈥渨e will remember Shelley for her kindness, loyalty, wit, courage, and beautiful spirit. We will miss her deeply 鈥� not only as a celebrated performer, but as the loving and extraordinary person she was in our everyday lives.鈥�
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