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Actress and singer Shelley Fabares has died at age 82. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fabares passed away after a brief period of illness on Saturday, August 22 in Los Angeles. She was surrounded by her loved ones.
“To her family and friends, Shelley was a source of love, strength, laughter and comfort,” the family’s statement read. “She was a devoted wife, cherished stepmother, daughter, sister, niece, aunt, family member and loyal friend whose warmth, generosity, humor and grace made an enduring difference in the lives of everyone who knew her. She had a remarkable ability to make people feel welcomed, valued and cared for.”
Born Michele Ann Marie Fabares, she was a prominent performer who appeared in over 90 projects. She was known for her starring roles opposite Elvis Presley in movies “Girl Happy,” “Spinout,” and “Clambake.” She was also a well-known TV actress who was known for several prominent sitcoms. Among many other roles, she played Mary Stone on “The Donna Reed Show” and Francine Webster on “One Day at a Time.” She was also a key cast member of “Coach,” earning two Primetime Emmy nominations for her role as Christine Armstrong. In the 1990s and 2000s, Fabares became known for voicing Superman’s mother Martha Kent in various animated projects.
Shelley Fabares was a successful actress and a chart-topping recording artist
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Apart from her illustrious career as an actress, Shelley Fabares was an accomplished singer. Unlike her big-screen co-star Elvis, who was a singer who became an actor, Fabares went the other way around: In April 1962, she was acting on “The Donna Reed Show” when her song “Johnny Angel” reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 list, selling over a million copies. Fabares openly attributed the success of the song to her acting career. “I literally cannot sing. So there’s a lot of overdubbing,” she said in a 1983 interview (via The Hollywood Reporter). “It was unusual. But [“The Donna Reed Show”] was very successful at that time, so [the song] had a built-in audience.”
While her success was considerable, Fabares’ personal life was not always easy. In 1999, she found out that her liver was failing, and had to spend 22 months on the waiting list before receiving a transplant in October 2000.
Fabares was married twice: First to producer Lou Adler in 1964, separating after just two years but not officially divorcing until 1980. She is survived by her second husband, “M*A*S*H” star Mike Farrell, whom she married in 1984. Looper’s condolences go out to Fabares’ family and loved ones.