Shelley Fabares, ‘Donna Reed Show’ and ‘One Day at a Time’ star, dies at 82
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Actor Shelley Fabares, known for her television roles as Francine Webster on the 1975 sitcom “One Day at a Time,” Mary Stone on “The Donna Reed Show,” and her Billboard Hot 100 song “Johnny Angel,” died Sunday in Los Angeles surrounded by her loved ones. She was 82.
In a statement to The Times, a family friend shared the news of the star’s death.
“To her family and friends, Shelley was a source of love, strength, laughter, and comfort … whose warmth, generosity, humor, and grace made an enduring difference in the lives of everyone who knew her,” the statement read. “She had a remarkable ability to make people feel welcomed, valued, and cared for.”
The family did not disclose the cause of death.
Fabares was born in Santa Monica in 1944. She began her acting career at the age of 3 and became a household name playing teenager Mary Stone on “The Donna Reed Show” from 1958 to 1963. Fabares frequently praised her on-screen mother, Donna Reed, calling her a “second mother.”
Fabares went on to star alongside Elvis Presley in three films: “Girl Happy,” “Spinout” and “Clambake.”
By the 1970s, Fabares had transitioned back to television, starring in the 1971 TV drama “Brian’s Song” and appearing in “The Little People” and “The Practice.” She ended the decade on Norman Lear’s “One Day at a Time,” starring as Francine Webster opposite Bonnie Franklin.
Fabares later starred as Christine Armstrong on the ABC sitcom “Coach,” earning two Primetime Emmy nominations during the show’s nine-season run.
After her 1980 divorce from music producer Lou Adler, Fabares remarried “MASH” actor Mike Farrell in 1984. The pair eventually sold the Sherman Oaks honeymoon home they bought in 1985. They moved to Studio City to better accommodate Fabares’ mother, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Fabares spent her final years taking care of her mother and advocating for more funding for research into the disease.
She is survived by her husband and her daughter, Erin.
