Actress Tanya Roberts died Monday night at the age of 65. On Sunday, there were premature reports that she had passed away on that day. Roberts was best known for her roles on Charlie’s Angels, That ’70s Show, and the James Bond film A View To A Kill.
Tanya Roberts Has Passed Away
TMZ reports that Roberts was out walking her dogs on Christmas Eve and, after returning home, she collapsed. She was taken to a hospital where she was put on a ventilator. Her illness was reportedly not related to COVID-19. She died on January 4.
Roberts shot to overnight stardom in 1980 after she was cast as streetwise model Julie Rogers on Charlie’s Angels filling the void left by “Boston” Angel — Tiffany Welles (played by Shelley Hack). She was the sixth and final angel cast in the Aaron Spelling TV series that ran from 1976 to 1981.
Rather than make her character a former police officer, who left the force to join the fictional Townsend Detective Agency, the writers opted to have Julie be a graduate from “a top school for models.” Julie got involved on a case with Kelly (Jaclyn Smith) and Kris (Cheryl Ladd) and, after getting her private eye license, she joined the private eyes for future adventures. Roberts’ character appeared in a total of 16 episodes of Charlie’s Angels.
Her other credits include Kiri in The Beastmaster (1982), playing the title role in Sheena (1984) and the following year, she became “Bond Girl” Stacey Sutton opposite Roger Moore in A View To A Kill. From 1998-2001, she appeared as series regular Midge Pinciotti on That ’70s Show. Roberts exited the series to take care of her husband Barry Roberts, who died in 2006. She returned to That ’70s Show for a handful of episodes in 2004.
Her last credit was the series Barbershop as Ellie Palmer in 2005. The actress continued to stay active with her fanbase via her website and until about a year ago, she was active on the convention scene where fans meet their favorite stars.
Roberts is survived by her partner, Lance O’Brien, and her sister Barbara Chase. The actress almost joined the daytime world back in 1996 when she auditioned for the role of Kate Roberts on Days of our Lives (which went to Lauren Koslow). Entertainment Hub sends sincere condolences to Roberts’ family and loved ones at this difficult time.
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