Beverley Owen, the Original Marilyn From ‘The Munsters,’ Dies at 81

Actress left her role on the iconic ’60s sitcom after 13 episodes

Beverley Owen
CBS/Public Domain

Beverley Owen, the actress who played the original Marilyn Munster on the iconic 1960s sitcom “The Munsters,” has died. She was 81.

Her co-star Butch Patrick, who played half-vampire, half-werewolf child Eddie Munster on the series, confirmed Owen’s death in a Facebook post on Sunday.

“Beautiful Beverly Owen [sic] has left us,” Patrick wrote. “What a sweet soul. I had the biggest crush on her. RIP Bev and thanks for your 13 memorable Marilyn Munster episodes.”

See his post below:

Beverley Owen Butch Patrick

According to TMZ, Owen’s daughter, Polly Stone, said the actress died Feb. 21 in Vermont, after a battle with ovarian cancer. Stone told the outlet that Owen was diagnosed with the disease in January 2017, but had kept it private.

A representative for Patrick did not immediately respond for TheWrap’s request for comment on his post and how he learned of Owen’s death.

Owen left her role on “The Munsters” in 1964, after the first 13-episodes of the CBS comedy’s 38-episode Season 1, to marry writer/producer Jon Stone. She was replaced by Pat Priest, who played Marilyn — the Munsters’ beautiful teenage niece, who was an outcast in the unusual family due to her normalcy — for the rest of the show’s 2-season run.

She is survived by two daughters, Polly and Kate.

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