The Facts of Life star Charlotte Rae (Edna Garrett) dead at 92
According to a new report from Deadline, Rae passed away in her Los Angeles home at the age of 92. This news was confirmed by the actresses representatives, and her cause of death was not made immediately clear. Rae had announced last year that she was suffering from bone and pancreatic cancer.
While Rae is best known for playing Garrett on Diff’rent Strokes leading into The Facts of Life, she was acting for many years before that. Some of her early work came in the 1950’s, and she appeared on such iconic series as All in the Family, Good Times, and Love, American Style before even getting her iconic role. (She also played a wide array of roles on The Love Boat). Her last TV appearances were on Pretty Little Liars and Girl Meets World, but she also appeared on such other shows as ER and The King of Queens over the past several decades. She had an excellent run on TV and we’re glad that her talent was so recognized. She also found consistent work as a voice actor once her time as Edna came to a close.
Away from television, Rae was also popular in the world of theater — she was, after all, a multi-time Tony Award nominee.
Rae’s passing comes in the midst of discussions that The Facts of Life could be rebooted for a modern generation — in the event that does happen, we do hope that the series really looks to honor all of the original cast and characters. At the time it was on and for years to come, this is a series that meant a lot of things to many different people.
Of course, our thoughts and condolences go out to Rae and her family during this particularly devastating time.