Fans of the 1970s television sitcom “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” are in mourning this week after actress Georgia Engel, known for playing Georgette Baxter on the show, passed away on Friday. She was 70 years-old.

Engel’s friend and executor John Quilty confirmed that she passed away in Princeton, New Jersey, adding that her cause of death is unknown because she was a Christian Scientist and therefore did not believe in seeing doctors.

Engel enjoyed a long career in television that spanned nearly fifty years and involved her being nominated for five Emmy Awards, two of which were for “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and three for her role as Pat MacDougall on “Everybody Loves Raymond.”

Engel got her start on the stage, and she once revealed the twist of fate that launched her career in television. While appearing in the off-Broadway show “The House of Blue Leaves,” there was a fire at the theater it was held at, forcing the play to relocate to Los Angeles. There, Moore happened to see it and liked Engel’s performance so much that she offered her a role on her show.

“Six months later I was collecting unemployment in New York and got asked to do a three-day role [on ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’],” Engel recalled. “My manager at the time, who’s long since gone, didn’t think I should go because it would cost me money to go out there for such a little part. But even as a very young person, my instincts knew that sometimes you pay for the privilege of working with the best.”

After Engel’s death, her “Mary Tyler Moore Show” costar Betty White paid tribute to her on Instagram by posting a photo of them together along with the caption, “‘Friends Forever’ says it all.”

 

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“Friends Forever” says it all.

A post shared by Betty White (@bettymwhite) on Apr 16, 2019 at 10:24am PDT

“Georgia was one of a kind – the absolute best,” White later added.

Engel will be remembered by her legions of fans for the countless laughs she gave us all over the years. Rest in peace, Georgia Engel.