Mary Tyler Moore And Passions Star Georgia Engel Dies At 70

Georgia Engel, beloved as Georgette Baxter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and who also appeared on the defunct soap, Passions, has died.

The New York Times is reporting that Engel, a five-time Emmy-nominated actress, was a Christian Scientist and did not seek medical attention. She died on Friday, April 12 in Princeton, N.J., at the age of 70 of undisclosed causes.

The actress, born Georgia Bright Engel, was born on July 28, 1948, in Washington to parents Benjamin and Ruth Engel. She took to the stage early, playing Ado Annie in a school production of the musical, Oklahoma.

Appearing on stage in a Los Angeles production of The House of Blue Leaves turned out to be fortuitous when Mary Tyler Moore and her then-husband, producer Grant Tinker, saw her performance. Soon, the part of Georgette was written into the sitcom.

After The Mary Tyler Moore Show came to a close, Engel continued to work. She appeared in the sitcom The Betty White Show, reuniting her with White who had played Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Engel made multiple appearances on both The Love Boat and Fantasy Island. She was a recurring guest star on Everybody Loves Raymond as Pat MacDougall, a role that earned her three Prime Time Emmy nominations in the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy category.

Engel dipped her toes into the daytime pond when she was cast on Passions as Esmeralda in 2007. She shared scenes with Juliet Mills (Tabitha).

Soap Hub sends its sincere condolences to Engel’s family, friends and fans.