Florence Henderson, Star of ‘The Brady Bunch,’ Dies at 82

Actress was surrounded by friends and family, manager told AP

florence henderson
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Beloved TV mom Florence Henderson has died at age 82.

Henderson’s manager confirmed the news to the Associated Press, and said the star passed surrounded by friends and family. A cause of death was not disclosed, and her rep did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for further comment.

The stage and screen actress was best known for her role as Carol Brady on the iconic ABC series “The Brady Bunch,” which ran from 1969 to 1974.

The sitcom was about a man and a woman, each with three kids from a previous relationship, who become what was then a very modern blended family — living all together in a Southern California oasis. The series became synonymous with a kind of wholesomeness, and was adapted for two borderline-satirical feature films at Paramount in the ’90s.

Henderson was from Indiana, and got her start in traveling productions of Broadway hits like “Oklahoma!” and “South Pacific.”

She appeared in dozens of scripted TV shows following her “Brady Bunch” days, hosted two cooking shows (one as recently as 2013, “Who’s Cooking With Florence Henderson”), hosted a short-lived talk show in 2007 and took shots at her own pristine image on Tina Fey’s “30 Rock.”

The Mrs. Brady gig also landed Henderson some high-profile endorsements over the years, with the likes of Wesson cooking oil, Pepsi and Polident denture cleaner. She competed on “Dancing With the Stars” in 2010.

Henderson was a devoted advocate for the rights of senior citizens. She developed and starred in content exclusively for retirement communities and assisted living facilities, and was the face of a national campaign to educate elders on using new technology.

A final film starring Henderson is listed as being in postproduction: “Grandmothers Murder Club,” a comedy about four older women who accidentally kill a con man. It co-stars Pam Grier and Judge Reinhold.

Henderson is survived by four children from her first marriage.

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