Beloved TV character actress and multiple Emmy winner Doris Roberts has died at age 90, a family spokeswoman told reporters Monday night.
Janet Daily said the actress, perhaps best known as Ray Romano’s meddlesome mother in “Everybody Loves Raymond,” died overnight in her sleep at her home in Los Angeles.
The cause of death was not immediately known, but Ms. Roberts death came as a surprise because she had remained healthy and active in her advanced years, the spokeswoman said.
Ms. Roberts’ death was first reported by celebrity-news site TMZ.
She won five Emmys, four of them for playing Raymond’s mother Marie — the culmination of several roles as the mother or mother-in-law of the central character in sitcoms. She also played the down-to-earth Italian mother in the class-conflict comedy “Angie” and, albeit in a single episode, played Alice Hyatt’s mother in “Alice.”
Her other sitcom roles included parts in “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” “Barney Miller,” “Soap,” and more recently “Lizzie McGuire” (playing a grandmother by then).
PHOTOS: Remembering actress Doris Roberts
Her fifth Emmy was for playing a homeless woman in a guest appearance on “St. Elsewhere.”
Ms. Roberts is survived by her son Michael Cannata Jr., from her first marriage, and three grandchildren, Kelsey, Andrew, and Devon Cannata.
Actress Patricia Heaton, who played Raymond’s wife on “Everybody Loves Raymond,” paid tribute on Twitter “to my beloved Marie - RIP.”
“Truly the end of an era. My wonderful TV mother-in-law and ELR nemesis Doris Roberts was a consummate professional from whom I learned so much. She was funny and tough and loved life, living it to the fullest,” Ms. Heaton wrote.
“It truly was a privilege Doris. I love you and miss you,” she concluded.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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