Hollywood actress and voice performer Estelle Harris has passed away, her family have confirmed.
Family of the American star have confirmed that she passed away on Saturday 2 April 2022 at the age of 93.
Estelle was best known for her role as Estelle Costanza in the smash comedy Seinfeld – and was recognised by millions around the world as the voice of Mrs. Potato Head in the Toy Story film franchise.
Her family released a statement on Saturday announcing her sad passing and that she had died of natural causes in Palm Desert in California.
Her son Glen Harris revealed in a statement to Deadline: "It is with the greatest remorse and sadness to announce that Estelle Harris has passed on this evening at 6:25 p.m.
"Her kindness, passion, sensitivity, humor, empathy, and love were practically unrivaled, and she will be terribly missed by all those who knew her.
"Her passion was her work and her work was her passion.”
Estelle was born in New York City on 4 April 1928 with her family moving to Tarentum, Pennsylvania, when she was seven-years-old.
Her acting career began after she had married, welcomed her children, and after her kids had grown up in the 1970s.
Deadline reports: "She began pursuing acting at assorted amateur community theaters while raising her children, and went on to find incredible success both on stage and on screen.
"Boasting comedic gifts and a unique voice, Harris was at one point known on Madison Avenue as the 'Queen of Commercials,' having been known to book as many as 25 national TV spots in a single year."
She made her debut in a production called Looking Up in 1977 and became best known for her supporting role as Estelle Costanza on Seinfeld in which she appeared in 27 episodes between 1992 and 1998.
She featured in a string of high profile TV shows across the '80s, '90s and beyond, appearing in episodes of Law & Order, Star Trek: Voyager, and ER.
While her voice acting work saw her appear in a number of TV animations including Kim Possible and Futurama.
She joined the cast of the Toy Story franchise as Mrs. Potato Head in 1999 – with her reprisal of the role in Toy Story 4 being her last credit in 2019.
Tributes to Estelle have flooded social media following the sad news of her passing.
One fan wrote on Twitter: "It's very unfortunate to hear the news that Estelle Harris had passed away. I will personally remember her roles in Toy Story 2 and The Suite Life."
And another tweeted: "We lost an OG tonight. Rest In Peace to Estelle Harris, a woman of talent, charisma and beauty."
Estelle met her future husband, a window treatment salesman named Sy, in 1952 and they tied-the-knot six months later.
They welcomed three children together, a son named Eric, born in 1957, a second son named Glen, born in 1961, and a daughter named Taryn who was born in 1964.
The actress is survived by her three children along with three grandchildren and a great grandson.
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