Comedian Ruth Buzzi, first famous for her time on the NBC variety show “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” starting in the late 1960s, died May 1 at her home in Texas, her family announced Friday.
According to a post shared on her official Facebook page, she was in hospice care for several years before her death.
Raised in Stonington, Connecticut, Buzzi started her career in musical and comedy shows, quickly landing off-Broadway roles.
In 1968, she joined the cast of “Laugh In,” where her comedic talents quickly elevated her to national prominence. Her “spinster Gladys Ormphby,” clad in drab brown and wielding her purse as a weapon, became her most memorable character.
She continued in television, with roles on many popular shows, including the Marlo Thomas-starring “That Girl,” “The Love Boat” and as Ruthie, the proprietor of Finders Keepers on “Sesame Street.”
She also had a long list of movies, voice work and commercial roles.
Buzzi lived with her husband, actor Kent Perkins, on a cattle and horse ranch near Stephenville, Texas.
She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2012 and had recently suffered a stroke.
