Actor Linda Lavin has died aged 87. The actor had signed on for new comedy series Mid-Century Modern and three episodes of the series were still to be filmed at the time of her death.
Lavin was appearing in the yet to be released series alongside Matt Bomer, Nathan Lane and Nathan Lee Graham. The series from the team behind Will & Grace has been described as a modern gay take on The Golden Girls.
The series has apparently shot seven of its planned ten episodes and was due to resume filming in mid-January after the Christmas break. It’s not known how Lavin’s passing will be treated by the series.
“Working with Linda was one of the highlights of our careers,” showrunners David Kohan and Max Mutchnick and director James Burrows wrote in a joint statement of Lavin’s passing.
“She was a magnificent actress, singer, musician, and a heat seeking missile with a joke. But more significantly, she was a beautiful soul. Deep, joyful, generous and loving. She made our days better. The entire staff and crew will miss her beyond measure. We are better for having known her.”
Nathan Lane described Lavin as “a brilliant one of a kind actress, who could do comedy and drama with equal aplomb, and who made each day a joy to go to work.” when he spoke to People about her passing.
“”I am deeply grateful to have been touched by the brilliance of Linda Lavin,” Bomer told the same publication. “She is an icon, a phenomenal artist, and a deeply caring human being who will remain an inspiration to me, and be greatly missed by all of us. She was doing incredible work her entire adult life, and touched everyone lucky enough to know her.”
Lavin passed away on Sunday due to complications from recently discovered lung cancer.
Lavin made her television debut in the 70’s series Rhoda and went on to have a recurring in the sitcom Barney Miller. From 1976 until 1985 she played the title role in the sitcom Alice.
Her career saw her find success both on screen and stage. She won the Best Actress Tony Award in 1987 for her role in the Neil Simon play Broadway Bound.
She was a regular fixture on Broadway appearing in Last of the Red Hot Lovers, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Tales of the Allergist’s Wife, Cracked Stories and The Lyons.
She appeared in many films including The Muppets Take Manhattan. in recent years she’s appeared in many television programs including being a member of the cast of the Sean Hayes comedy Sean Saves the World, and drama series The Good Wife, Madam Secretary, and Elspeth.
Lavin was married three times and is survived by her husband Steve Bakunas.
What happens when an actor dies during the production of a television show?
Lavin is not the first actor to pass away in the midst of shooting a high-profile series. The death of an actor leaves producers with several choices, they can re-cast, write the death into the storyline, or in some cases just never mention the character again.
David McCallum’s character of Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard was announced to have died in his sleep on the long running series NCIS after the actor passed away.
The character of Phil on Call Me Kat was explained as having moved to Tahiti after actor Leslie Jordan unexpectedly passed away during production. While Willie Garson’s Stanford Blatch relocated to Japan in And Just Like That.. following Garson’s death from cancer.
Anne Heche was edited out of The Idol due to her death in a 2022 car crash. When the legendary Diana Rigg died in 2020 her role in All Creatures Great and Small was taken over by Patricia Hodge.
When Raymond Burr who played the iconic detective Perry Mason died, they continued on making planned Perry Mason films with new characters in the lead. Paul Sorvino and Hal Holbrook stepped into the void.
John Spencer’s death from a heart attack in 2005 left writers on The West Wing having to quickly replan the series to include the death of his character Leo McGarry. Comic actor John Ritter’s death was also written into 8 Simple Rules giving the show a very poignant moment.
Possibly the most moving on-screen tribute to a character after the actor portraying them has died came in 1983 when Big Bird discovered his friend Mister Hooper has passed.
Actor Will Lee died of a heart-attack in December 1982 but continued to appear on screen for several months in segments that had already been taped. The episode explaining death to young children was aired in the USA on Thanksgiving in the following year, so parents would be on hand to chat to their kids about death.
