Florence Henderson, Beloved Star of ‘The Brady Bunch,’ Dies at 82
The world mourns the loss of a TV icon today, as news has spread that actress Florence Henderson has passed away at the age of 82. Henderson is best known for playing the matriarch role of Carol Brady on the hit series The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974, as well as the show's various spinoffs in the following years.
CNN reports that Henderson died from heart failure in a Los Angeles hospital surrounded by family and friends. Her manager Kayla Pressman told the site that Henderson had not been sick, and was even at a taping of Dancing With the Stars earlier this week to cheer on Maureen McCormick, who played her TV daughter Marcia Brady.
Henderson began her career on stage where she joined the casts of such productions as Oklahoma! and South Pacific in New York City. In 1962, Henderson also earned the distinction as being the first woman guest host on The Tonight Show in between Jack Paar and Johnny Carson's reigns.
In 1969, Henderson took on the role of Carol Brady on ABC's The Brady Bunch, which became an instant hit with fans. The sitcom followed the lives of two families who must learn to live with one another as step-siblings after their parents fall in love. The show lasted for five seasons and was followed by numerous spinoff TV shows and TV films, including The Brady Bunch Hour, The Brady Girls Get Married, A Very Brady Christmas, and The Bradys.
In addition to her role of Carol Brady, Henderson also went on to guest star on numerous TV shows, including Roseanne, Ellen, The King of Queens, and 30 Rock. In the later years of career, Henderson became a contestant on Dancing With the Stars in 2010 and hosted her own cooking show on RLTV beginning in 2008.
Maureen McCormick paid tribute to the news of Henderson's passing with a photo from the set of Dancing With the Stars.
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