Personalities of the stage, television and film scenes came together Tuesday to celebrate the life of acting legend Angela Lansbury, who died Tuesday. The beloved “Murder, She Wrote” and five-time Tony Award winner died “peacefully in her sleep” at her home in Los Angeles. She was 96.
Lansbury, who was most widely known for her work as literary sleuth Jessica Fletcher in “Murder, She Wrote,” had a career that spanned decades and mediums — from the films “Gaslight” and “The Picture of Dorian Gray” in the 1940s to the 2009 Broadway revival of “Blithe Spirit.”
“If she JUST had a movie career, or JUST had a TV career, or JUST had a stage career, she’d be an icon,” the Music Box Theatre tweeted. “How fortunate we are that she did it all.”
“Angela Lansbury - She, my darlings, was EVERYTHING!,” said stage actor and playwright Harvey Fierstein on Twitter.
Lansbury was feted on Tuesday by actors including George Takei and and Jason Alexander, who in their respective tweets said the actor will “sing lullabies to us now from the stars” and that “her huge contribution to the arts and the world remains.”
The Television Academy, which honored Lansbury with a Hall of Fame award in 1996, also paid tribute on Twitter.
“Frozen” actor and fellow Broadway star Josh Gad celebrated Lansbury‘s era-defying work, sharing a picture of himself with the actor.
“It is rare that one person can touch multiple generations, creating a breadth of work that defines decade after decade,” he tweeted. “#AngelaLansbury was that artist. From ‘Mame’ to ‘Bedknobs’ to ‘Murder She Wrote’ to ‘B&TB’ to ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ she touched 4 generations. RIP Legend”
“RIP to the incomparable legend Dame Angela Lansbury,” New York City Center said in a tweet.
“Not Angela!!!” tweeted “Slave Play” scribe Jeremy O. Harris. “RIP ANGELA LANSBURY THE ABSOLUTE GOAT! You shaped so much of my childhood and adolescence!
“RIP to the legendary Dame Angela Lansbury, whose astonishing career spanned nine decades, from her debut Hollywood performance in GASLIGHT to her final role in the upcoming GLASS ONION. Lansbury received an honorary Oscar in 2013,” the Black List tweeted. “Thanks for all you shared with us, Angela.”
Lansbury is survived by her two children and numerous grandchildren.
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