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Georgia Engel, who starred onThe Mary Tyler Moore Show, has died at age 70.
Engel’s talent agent Jackie Stander confirmed to PEOPLE on Monday that the actress died on Friday, April 12.
“I am truly saddened to lose a great one of kind friend and client, as so many others she has touched over the years. She was truly an angel and blessed us with love, laughter and grace,” Stander said in a statement to PEOPLE. “Her and her family request prayers in her name from Christian Scientist, Mary Baker Eddy.”
According toThe New York Times,which firstreportedthe news, Engel’s friend and executor John Quilty told the outlet that Engel, a Christian Scientist, didn’t consult doctors and her cause of death is undetermined at this time.
Georgia Engel.Taylor Hill/Getty Images
“Georgia was one of a kind and the absolute best,” Betty White, who starred alongside Engel inThe Mary Tyler Moore Show,The Betty White ShowandHot in Cleveland, said on Monday toThe Timesthrough a spokeswoman.
Though Engel, who was widely recognized for her high-pitched and sweet-sounding voice, had a decades-long career in front of the camera, she began her entertainment career on the stage.
She reached Broadway in 1969 — as a replacement player near the end ofHello, Dolly!’s run — and starred last year in the musicalHalf Time, which was at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey, according toThe Times.
After her start in theater, she starred as Georgette Franklin onThe Mary Tyler Moore Show(1972-77) before taking on the roles of Mitzi Maloney inThe Betty White Show(1977-78), Loretta Smoot inGoodtime Girls(1980), Susan Elliot inJennifer Slept Here(1983-84), Shirley Burleigh inCoach(1991-97), and Pat MacDougall inEverybody Loves Raymond(2003-05), among others.
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Most recently, Engel had guest roles inThe Office(2012) andTwo and a Half Men(2012) and appeared as Mamie inHot in Cleveland(2012-15), according to her IMDb.
In January 2017,Engel spoke with PEOPLEfollowing the death of her former castmateMary Tyler Moore, who she said “was so wonderful and so full of love.”
She also recalled a special moment in time when Moore showcased just how generous she really was during the early days of Engel’s television career.
Georgia Engel.Steve Granitz/WireImage
She added: “One day, I got a knock at my door and these two big men had a big box and they just pushed right into my apartment. I panicked and said, ‘No, I didn’t order anything.’ They said they were told to put this up for me. They opened the box and there was a card attached to it and it was from Mary and Grant (they were married at the time) and it said, ‘So you can watch yourself on television.’ “
source: people.com
