Rae Allen has died peacefully in her sleep at the age of 95.
The Tony Award-winning actress was best known for her roles in The Sopranos, All In the Family and Damn Yankees and passed away early on Wednesday morning.
Born Rae Julia Theresa Abruzzo in New York, she was described by many who knew her as being a "force of nature" and had a very successful acting career which spanned several decades.
Rae began her acting career in Broadway theatre productions following her graduation from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1947.
In 1955 she earned her first Tony nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role as Gloria in Damn Yankees.
She was later nominated again for her part in Traveler Without Luggage in 1967. She won the award in 1971 for her role in And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little.
In 1958, she portrayed her role of Gloria on the big screen as she was part of the film adaptation of Damn Yankees.
She was a staple on TV shows in the '60s too, featuring on popular series such as The Untouchables, Car 54, Where Are You? and The Patty Duke Show.
She had a number of guest appearances on shows throughout the years, including on The Greatest American Hero, Lou Grant and Hill Street Blues.
She played a continued role on Soap, where she took up the role of Judge Betty Small.
Elsewhere in her impressive resume, she featured as Mrs Sokol on Seinfeld before playing Aunt Quintina Blundetto in The Sopranos.
At the turn of the millennium, she landed roles on a number of huge series including Grey's Anatomy and NYPD Blue, while on the big screen she could be seen in films including Stargate and A League of Their Own.
She also starred in Where's Poppa and Reign Over Me.
Following the news of her death breaking, fans began to leave messages of condolence on social media.
One Twitter user wrote: "Rest in peace Rae Allen."
She is survived by nieces Laura and Betty Cosgrove as well as her friends April Webster and Lisa Ann Gold, who she considered her adopted family.
