Dame Angela Lansbury Peacefully Passes Away at 96

The legendary actress Dame Angela Lansbury has passed away in her sleep. She was 96 years old.

Her family released a statement on Tuesday confirming she died peacefully in her sleep early Tuesday just five days shy of her 97th birthday. pic.twitter.com/1Rr2p3HqVS

— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) October 11, 2022

From Broadway to Beauty and the Beast (1991), the entertainment industry has suffered the loss of Angela Lansbury. She was only five days away from turning 97.

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The Irish-British and American star had an expansive career, lasting over 80 years, making it one of the longest in entertainment history. Although most of her work took place in the United States, she also received a lot of international attention for her talent. 

She was so prolific in her field that she was appointed a Dame by the late Queen Elizabeth II for her contribution to drama and philanthropy. 

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Although she never won an Emmy award, she was nominated nearly 20 times. In 2013, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented her with an Honorary Academy Award. 

Angela Lansbury has been dubbed the “First Lady of Musical Theatre” and described as one of the last actors of the golden age.

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Some of Dame Angela Lansbury’s most iconic roles include: 

• Mrs. Eleanor Iselin in John Frankenheimer’s The Manchurian Candidate (1962) 
• Cora Hoover Hooper in Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway musical Anyone Can Whistle (1964) 
• Mrs. Lovett in Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979) 
• Jessica Fletcher in Peter Fischer’s television series Murder, She Wrote (1984-1996)

The Disney community will remember her as Miss Eglantine Price from Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), the voice of Mrs. Potts from Beauty and the Beast, and The Balloon Lady in Mary Poppins Returns (2018).

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Although many fans of Angela Lansbury’s work are mourning, they can easily take solace in the fact that she died peacefully in her sleep at a very old age. That makes this mourning very ‘bittersweet and strange,’ as her iconic character sings in Beauty and the Beast.