Shelley Fabares, the actor best known for her roles in The Donna Reed Show and Coach, died Saturday at the age of 82.
Her family said she died in Los Angeles surrounded by loved ones.
She married record and film producer Lou Adler in 1964. The couple separated around 1966 and divorced in 1980. In 1984, she married actor Mike Farrell, best known for playing BJ Hunnicutt on MASH*. They married on December 31, 1984, at the Pacific Palisades home of Fabares’ aunt, actress Nanette Fabray.
“She was a devoted wife, cherished stepmother, daughter, sister, niece, aunt, family member, and loyal friend whose warmth, generosity, humor, and grace made an enduring difference in the lives of everyone who knew her. She had a remarkable ability to make people feel welcomed, valued, and cared for. “We will miss her deeply — not only as a celebrated performer, but as the loving and extraordinary person she was in our everyday lives. We are heartbroken by her loss, yet profoundly grateful for the years we shared with her and for the joy, compassion, and love she brought to so many. We ask that our family’s privacy be respected as we grieve. We take comfort in knowing that Shelley’s work and the memories she created with those who loved her will continue to live on,” the statement added. Fabares’ family has not publicly disclosed her cause of death.
“To her family and friends, Shelley was a source of love, strength, laughter, and comfort,” Fabares’ family said. Some reports said she died following a brief illness.
Fabares did not have biological children. She was the stepmother to Farrell’s two children from his previous marriage to actress Judy Farrell: Erin Farrell and Michael Farrell. No cause was given.
She was 82. Earlier reporting noted: 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 “The Loretta Young Show.
Earlier reporting noted: Shelley Fabares, ‘Johnny Angel’ singer and actor in ‘The Donna Reed Show’ and ‘Coach,’ dies at 82 Shelley Fabares, an actor who was a fixture on television for decades from her days as a young teenager on “The Donna Reed Show,” through “One Day at a Time” and “Coach,” has died. Earlier reporting noted: She died Saturday in Los Angeles, her family said in a statement to The Associated Press. Many movies and television shows followed: She acted with Paul Newman , Frank Sinatra and Eva Marie Saint in a Producers Showcase production of “Our Town”; was in the Rosalind Russell movie “The Girl Rush” and the Rock Hudson drama “Never Say Goodbye. Other early credits include “Annette,” “Captain Midnight” and the “Black Leather Jackets” episode of “The Twilight Zone.”
