Charlotte Rae, best known for her role as the loveable Mrs Garrett on The Facts of Life, has passed away at the age of 92.
Rae was diagnosed with bone cancer at the end of 2017.
She said in a statement at the time, ‘Last Monday, I found out I have bone 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.
‘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 ever knew. So now, at the age of 91, I have to make up my mind. I’m not in any pain right now. I’m feeling so terrific and so glad to be above ground. Now I have to figure out whether I want to go have treatment again or opt for life.’
Rae played the kooky but kind housekeeper Edna Garrett on Diff’rent Strokes, and when she became a popular breakout character, Rae herself proposed the spin-off. That spin-off became The Facts of Life, a sitcom about a girls’ boarding school and their kooky and kind house mother.
Rae went on to guest star on TV shows like ER, Pretty Little Liars, Sisters, and The King of Queens, and appeared in movies such as Don’t Mess with the Zohan and Tom and Jerry: The Movie.
The actress is survived by her two children Larry Strauss and Andrew Strauss.
