Debbie Reynolds, ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ star, dead at 84 | PBS NewsHour
Alison Thoet
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Alison Thoet

Debbie Reynolds, ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ star, dead at 84

Arts

Singer, actress and Hollywood star Debbie Reynolds died Wednesday at age 84, just one day after the death of her daughter, Carrie Fisher.

Reynolds, perhaps best known for her role in the 1952 movie musical “Singin’ in the Rain,” was rushed to the hospital Wednesday, her son Todd Fisher confirmed, calling the stress of his sister’s death “too much” for their mother. Carrie Fisher suffered a heart attack last Friday at age 60.

“Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter,” Reynolds had written Tuesday on her Facebook page. “I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop.”

Initially reported by TMZ, Reynolds was discussing funeral plans for Carrie at her son’s Beverly Hills home when she suffered a stroke.

“She held it together beautifully, obviously, for the last couple of days but she was under a lot of emotion and stress from the loss [of Carrie,] and it’s pretty much what triggered this event,” Todd told E! News. Reynolds died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Mary Frances “Debbie” Reynolds was born in 1932 in El Paso, Texas. Her first breakout role was the 1950 film, “Three Little Words,” a part she earned shortly after high school. She received a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer for her work in the MGM musical.

But it was “Singin’ in the Rain” that made Reynolds famous at 19, when she starred alongside Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor in the classic movie. Although she had little dance training, Reynolds tapped flawlessly with her co-stars through routines like “Good Morning.”

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“The two hardest things I ever did in my life are childbirth and “Singin’ in the Rain,” Reynolds famously said, years after making the film.

Another highlight of her film career came when she starred in the musical “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” (1964). She received an Oscar nomination for the role.

Video by YouTube user Grover Dale

Reynolds also earned a Golden Globe for her supporting role in the Albert Brooks-directed 1996 movie “Mother.” She acted on Broadway and then, later in life, on television, most notably as the mother of Debra Messing’s character in the TV show “Will & Grace.”

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded the actress a humanitarian award earlier this year for her philanthropy and work with mental health issues.

Daughter Carrie Fisher was also known as a mental health advocate, who openly discussed her own struggles with the disease. An HBO documentary will air in 2017 on the lives of the mother and daughter, “Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds.”

Fans, friends and family have expressed their grief at the passing of these “bright lights,” who died only a day apart from each other.


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Reynolds is survived by her son, Todd, and granddaughter Billie Lourd.

Alison Thoet
By —

Alison Thoet

@alisonthoet

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