“Facts of Life” star Charlotte Rae was diagnosed with bone cancer this week at the age of 91.
The actress, who played beloved character Edna Garrett on the hit sitcom and its predecessor “Diff’rent Strokes,” said she is “not in any pain right now. I’m feeling so terrific and so glad to be above ground.”
Rae told People that she got the bad news from her doctors on Monday, and the diagnosis comes after a prior battle with cancer.
“About seven years ago, I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer — which is a miracle that they found it because usually it’s too late,” Rae told the magazine. “My mother, sister and my uncle died of pancreatic cancer. After six months of chemotherapy, I was cancer-free. I lost my hair, but I had beautiful wigs. Nobody even knew.”
Rather than taking bone cancer as an instant death sentence, she told People, “Now I have to figure out whether I want to go have treatment again to opt for life. I love life. I’ve had a wonderful one already. I have this decision to make,” she said.
Rae was scheduled to start her latest round of cancer treatment on Thursday, but opted to postpone it for a while.
“I think I’m gong to go for it,” she told People. The side effects were not too bad when I did it originally. I’ve had a great life, but I have so many wonderful things happening. I’d like to chose life. I’m grateful for the life I’ve already had.”
The Emmy winner returned to the big screen in 2015 in Jonathan Demme’s “Ricki and the Flash,” with Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and Rick Springfield. In November 2015, Rae released her new autobiography, “The Facts of My Life,” which was co-written with her son, Larry Strauss.
In the memoir, she recounted her battle with alcoholism followed by 44 years of sobriety, her discovery that her husband, John Strauss, was bisexual, and the death of her eldest son, Andrew, who suffered from autism and dementia.
9 Underrated TV Comedies You Should Binge Now on Netflix (Photos)
Not every comedy can be "Friends," "Modern Family" or "The Big Bang Theory." Some flop or just fail to connect with the audience they should have. Luckily, you can catch them again on streaming platforms.
"The Grinder" It was one and done for this Fox comedy starring Rob Lowe as an actor pretending to be a lawyer, but the writing and the performances were smart and funny.
"The Bernie Mac Show" Created by Larry Wilmore, this family sitcom on Fox is worth seeing if only for the antics of Bernie Mac, the supremely talented standup comic who died just two years after the show ended in 2006.
"The IT Crowd" Few Americans know this offbeat British comedy hit about two tech nerds and their computer-challenged boss in an IT department. But at its best it's about as funny as TV can get. Fans will see many similarities with "The Big Bang Theory," although the shows were developed separately.
"Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23" Krysten Ritter as Chloe, a party girl with "the morals of a pirate," served as the basis of this anarchic urban comedy. Well, anarchic for ABC, where it lasted for a season and a half.
"My Name Is Earl" Jason Lee as the title character in this NBC blue-collar family send-up, filled with more loopy characters and one-liners than you could completely appreciate on the first viewing.
"Freaks and Geeks" One of the biggest comedy cult shows of all time, this acerbic look at a 1980s high school aired just 12 episodes before NBC pulled the plug. You can catch a very young James Franco and Seth Rogen, among many others.
"Better Off Ted" Critics loved this barbed corporate satire starring Jay Harrington about the head of R&D at a sleek but soulless company, but the show may have been a little narrow for ABC, which dumped it after two low-rated seasons.
"Grounded for Life" Donal Logue and Megyn Price starred as young-ish parents who still haven't shaken off their youthful urges. Some nice performances, consistently enlivened with some funny guest walk-ons. Also? One of the very few TV comedies set on Staten Island.
"Bojack Horseman"
And finally, a Netflix original: This dead-on Hollywood satire that happens to star a, um, talking horse who sounds just like Will Arnett.
From ”Bernie Mac“ to ”My Name Is Earl,“ plenty of undervalued sitcoms are worth discovering – or giving a second look
Not every comedy can be "Friends," "Modern Family" or "The Big Bang Theory." Some flop or just fail to connect with the audience they should have. Luckily, you can catch them again on streaming platforms.
