Comedian Ruth Buzzi, first famous for her time on the NBC variety show "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" starting in the late 1960s, died May 1 at her home in Texas, her family announced Friday.
According to a post shared on her official Facebook page, she was in hospice care for several years before her death.
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WATCH HEREShortly before her death, her husband Kent Perkins, had posted a statement her Facebook page, thanking her many fans and telling them: “She wants you to know she probably had more fun doing those shows than you had watching them.”
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SIGN UP Raised in Stonington, Connecticut, Buzzi started her career in musical and comedy shows, quickly landing off-Broadway roles.
In 1968, she joined the cast of "Laugh In," where her comedic talents quickly elevated her to national prominence. Her "spinster Gladys Ormphby," clad in drab brown, a hairnet and wielding her purse as a weapon, became her most memorable character.
She continued in television, with roles on many popular shows, including the Marlo Thomas-starring "That Girl," "The Love Boat" and as Ruthie, the proprietor of Finders Keepers on "Sesame Street," for which she was nominated for an Emmy.
She also had a long list of movies, voice work and commercial roles.
Buzzi was also in later years featured in music videos with “Weird Al” Yankovic, the B-52’s and the Presidents of the United States of America.
Buzzi moved from California to Texas more than 20 years ago, where she lived with her husband, actor Kent Perkins, on a cattle and horse ranch near Stephenville.
She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in 2012 and had suffered a stroke in recent years.
