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Linda Lavin is best known for her nine-season stint as the title character of CBS sitcom Alice. According the The Hollywood Reporter, Lavin died on Sunday, December 29, at the age of 87, ending an impressive career in the entertainment industry. It was in the role of Alice that Linda would be best remembered for, and one that would spearhead other efforts and accomplishments — including her work in women’s rights. “I knew it behooved me to learn about single mothers and working women,” she said during an on-camera interview with Steve Adubato in 2012. “So I went to Gloria Steinem, whom I had met briefly, and she hooked me up with writers and columnists and newspeople who were writing about working women.
She continued, “I learned that Alice represented 80 percent of all the women who work in this country who were still struggling at 69 cents to the dollar that men were making for the same quality of work. Suddenly, I had a rhetoric, I had a commitment.” But Linda Lavin wasn’t the only performer in her family — it turns out she may have inherited at least some of her remarkable talent from her mother, Lucille Lavin.
As news emerges of the death of the iconic actress, here’s what to know about her talented mother, Lucille.
Who Was Linda Lavin?
Linda Lavin in 1979 (Photo by UPI/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)
Linda Lavin was an accomplished actress of stage, television and film. She won two Golden Globes and an Emmy nomination for her turn as the plucky waitress Alice Hyatt, and for her work in live theater, garnered six Tony nominations and one win (for Broadway Bound, in 1987.) Between 1962 and 2022, a span of six decades, she appeared in nearly 30 movies, solidifying her status as an icon of TV, film, and stage. Most recently, she appeared in Mid-Century Modern, a yet-to-be-released Hulu series set to drop in 2025.
According to THR, Lavin was also an activist, marching for the Equal Rights Amendment and joining the National Commission on Working Women. Sometimes, per the outlet, she delivered speeches in her Alice uniform, using her platform as a high-profile actress to bring attention to the causes she cared about.
How Did Linda Lavin Die?
A PR representative for the actress confirmed to Deadline that Linda died “unexpectedly” from complications due to “recently discovered” lung cancer. “She made our days better,” Mid-Century Modern showrunners David Kohan, Max Mutchnick and Jimmy Burrows said in part, in a joint statement following her death. “The entire staff and crew will miss her beyond measure. We are better for having known her.”
Who Was Linda Lavin’s Mom?
As previously mentioned, Linda wasn’t the only member of her family with a skill for the art of performance. According to an article by Jewish Women’s Archive, Linda Lavin’s mother, Lucille Lavin (nee Potter) was an opera singer and local radio host. She gave birth to Linda on October 15, 1937, in Portland, Maine, alongside her husband, furniture business owner David J. Lavin.
What Was Linda Lavin’s Net Worth?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, at the time of her death, Linda’s net worth was $6 million. She owned homes in Manhattan and Toluca Lake, California.
