Angela Lansbury, 'Murder She Wrote' Star, Dead At 96

HOLLYWOOD, CA —Angela Lansbury, the beloved star of "Murder She Wrote," has died. Her death was confirmed in a family statement, according to multiple reports. She was 96.

Lansbury's family said she passed away in her sleep at 1:30 a.m Tuesday in her Los Angeles home.

The award-winning actress was perhaps best known for her role as mystery novelist and sleuth Jessica Fletcher on the series "Murder, She Wrote," but was also beloved for her roles in the classic Disney films "Anastasia" (1997,) "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" (1971,) and "Beauty and the Beast" (1991.)

"Murder, She Wrote" ran for 12 seasons between 1984 and 1996, though the show's appeal far outlasted its end.

Lansbury won five Tony Awards for her Broadway performances and a lifetime achievement award. She earned Academy Award nominations as supporting actress for two of her first three films, “Gaslight” (1945) and “The Picture of Dorian Gray” (1946), and was nominated again in 1962 for “The Manchurian Candidate” and her deadly portrayal of a Communist agent and the title character’s mother.

In a 2008 Associated Press interview, Lansbury said she still welcomed the right script but did not want to play “old, decrepit women."

“I want women my age to be represented the way they are, which is vital, productive members of society,” she added. “I’m astonished at the amount of stuff I managed to pack into the years that I have been in the business. And I’m still here!”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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