Bonnie Franklin dead at age 69

[Guest lurkerspeaks]

By Tim Kenneally TheWrap.com

3:21 p.m. CST, March 1, 2013

LOS ANGELES—

Bonnie Franklin, the actress who played Ann Romano in the sitcom "One Day at a Time," died Friday at her home. She was 69.

News broke in September that Franklin had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Franklin was surrounded by family and friends at the time of her death, an individual familiar with the situation told TheWrap

Born in Santa Monica, Calif., in 1944, Franklin first appeared on television at age nine, in "The Colgate Comedy Hour," and made her Broadway debut in 1970 in "Applause." She also had a semi-regular role on ABC's "Gidget."

However, it was the sitcom "One Day at a Time," which ran on CBS from 1975 to 1984, that made Franklin a star.

The series was somewhat groundbreaking for its time; Franklin played divorced mother of two Ann Romano, struggling to raise her two daughters (played by Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli) on her own. During the course of the show's run, it tackled such subjects as premarital sex, teenage runaways and suicide.

The show itself was not without its own internal drama; Phillips was fired from the series after in 1980, due to alcohol and drug struggles that made her unreliable. Invited back the next year after undergoing treatment, she relapsed and was fired again.

Franklin received multiple Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her portrayal of Romano.

Franklin appeared sporadically on television following "One Day at a Time." In 2011, she reunited with Bertinelli for a guest appearance on TV Land's "Hot in Cleveland," and last year she appeared on "The Young and the Restless" as Sister Celeste.

Married twice, Franklin's second marriage, to producer Marvin Minoff, lasted from 1980 until Minoff's death in 2009. She is survived by her family, including mother, Claire Franklin, as well as her stepchildren Jed and Julie, her grandchildren Maya and Natasha, and her sister and brother-in-laws.

A private memorial will be held next week. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to CCAP, a nonprofit organization started by Franklin and her sister Judy Bush to introduce and implement great American Plays into inner city schools' curriculum.

[Guest CharliePS]

Since I almost never watch sitcoms anymore, it's surprising to be reminded of how regularly I used to watch them. "One Day at a Time" was one of my favorites, because Bonnie Franklin seemed like such a normal, lovable character. I remember being appalled when sweet young Valerie Bertinelli married Eddie van Halen, one of the other persons featured on our threads today.

[Guest josephga]

remarkably her mother is still alive at 101 according to ET

[RA1]

Who can forget MS Romano? RIP.

Best regards,

RA1

[Guest EXPAT]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M82CUd6isyY

[Guest FourAces]

So sad she was a class act

[wayout]

So sorry to hear of her passing, RIP

[TampaYankee]

I suspect this will separate me from most others but... I've always found a little creepy the idea of dying while surrounded by family. I find it a very solitary act as no one else is going (with me) or has gone through the experience. No one will know what it is like or have pointers about exiting. They will either be exuding ponderously heavy sadness, or morbid curiosity or conceivably making a mental accounting sheet of the estate. I find none of that comforting. Call me weird, I guess.

[RA1]

Are you going by the comment, "surrounded by friends and family" for your remarks? I see that frequently but have never quite understood it either. The exact moment of death is not predictable so do large numbers of folks just hang out during a "death watch"? I was nearby when my father passed away. I had participated in taking care of him during the last few months of his life but other members of the family were resting else where at that moment. They were physically and mentally exhausted from the ordeal of those months.

I suppose the idea is that the person passed relatively peacefully and those who cared and were caring were nearby for support, of each other, one might presume.

One reason I am posting is to lament how serious pancreatic cancer is. It is literally a death sentence that will be "carried out" in 6-12 months, more or less. My father passed from the debilitating effects of pancreatic cancer and I don't think treatment has improved all that much in the suceeding 40+ years since then.

Best regards,

RA1