“I Love Lucy Actress” Dead at 94
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Frazer Harrison/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — Shirley Mitchell, an actress who was believed to be the last surviving adult cast member of Lucille Ball’s classic 1950s sitcom I Love Lucy, has passed away.
Nancy Olson, an Oscar-nominated actress and a sister-in-law of Mitchell, tells The Hollywood Reporter that Mitchell died Monday of heart failure in Westwood, Calif., at the age of 94.
Mitchell played Lucy’s cackling friend, Marion Strong, in three episodes of I Love Lucy, taking over the role from Margie Liszt. The character is best remembered for setting up Lucy and Desi Arnaz’s Ricky on their first date.
Mitchell’s many other credits included TV’s Petticoat Junction, The Beverly Hillbillies and Bachelor Father, and the films Jamboree and The War of the Roses.
Mitchell’s late husband was composer Jay Livingston, who won three Oscars, including one for “Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)” from the 1956 film The Man Who Knew Too Much.
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