Angela Lansbury dead at 96

Legendary British actress, Dame Angela Lansbury, has died aged 96 after an illustrious seven decade career, her family has confirmed.

Angela Lansbury has died “peacefully” aged 96, her children have confirmed today.

“The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are sad to announce that their mother died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30 a.m. today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday,” her family said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.

“In addition to her three children, Anthony, Deirdre and David, she is survived by three grandchildren, Peter, Katherine and Ian, plus five great grandchildren and her brother, producer Edgar Lansbury,” the statement adds.

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Lansbury passed ‘peacefully’ in her sleep. Picture: Getty Images.

“She was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, Peter Shaw. A private family ceremony will be held at a date to be determined.”

The London-born actress, whose career spanned seven decades, is perhaps best known for her role as mystery novelist Jessica Fletcher on CBS series Murder, She Wrote.

Many will also remember her from their childhood, as the voice of Disney’s Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast, or for her quirky leading role in Bedknobs and Broomsticks.

Angela Lansbury in 1971 Disney classic Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Picture: Alamy

Lansbury’s stage and screen career began when she was just 17, starring as the cockney maid in the Ingrid Bergman-Charles Boyer classic 1944 thriller Gaslight. The role saw the then-teen nominated for an Oscar.

Speaking to the Masterpiece Studio podcast in 2018, Lansbury credited her mother for her early entertainment career.

“It was thanks to my mother who recognised in me an ability to cut up, to make believe, to run around being somebody other than the little girl that I was,” she said, adding of her first Oscar nomination, “It made her realise that I was a natural, and she, bless her heart, made the decisions for me very, very, very young.”

Angela Lansbury in Murder, She Wrote. Picture: Supplied.

The following year Lansbury was nominated again for her role as Sibyl Vane in The Picture of Dorian Gray.

At 19, Lansbury married fellow actor Richard Cromwell, who came out as gay nine months after their marriage when they ultimately separated.

“My first great, great romance. It was a terrible tragedy,” she said, adding that the two remained friends until his death from cancer in 1960.

In 1949, she married actor Peter Shaw, who died in 2003.

Lansbury is remembered for iconic Broadway roles, including Mame and Sweeney Todd, a stage career which earned her five Tony awards. For her TV contribution, Lansbury had an impressive 18 Emmy nominations, 12 of which for Murder, She Wrote, in which she starred from 1984. Strangely, she never took out a win.

The screen and stage icon did receive a 1996 Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, a 1997 American National Medal of the Arts, a 2000 Kennedy Center Honor, and, in a 2014 ceremony at Windsor Castle, was officially made Dame Angela by Queen Elizabeth

In June this year, Lansbury took home her sixth Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Her final acting role was in 2018, at the age of 92, as the Balloon Lady in Emily Blunt-led Mary Poppins Returns.

Tributes have begun to flow for the late star, with former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull tweeting a photo of him meeting the actress in 2013.

Thank you Angela for the joy & love you have shared with all the world all your life. You first dazzled me when I was 4 & you were Aunty Angela making a movie in Australia. In later years we always had politics & showbiz to talk and laugh about. Rest In Peace dear Angie. https://t.co/DOKRcn0hw9

— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) October 11, 2022

rest in peace, the absolute legend and superstar, dame angela lansbury. you were the hero of so many of my childhood memories. your pioneering work and outstanding talent will always be remembered and treasured ♥️ pic.twitter.com/2rNl0CIOgW

— sophia ✨ (@musicallaneous) October 11, 2022

Rest in peace, Angela Lansbury. Truly one of the greatest, most versatile actresses to have ever lived. She made us laugh, she made us sob, she chilled our blood, and every single time she did it with such ease and excellence. She defined the essence of being a legend. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/pVxmLphydM

— 𝖇𝖔𝕺𝖔𝕺𝖔𝕺𝖒𝖆𝖘 👻 (@cinema_gay) October 11, 2022