Nanette Fabray has passed away at the age of 97

From Digital Spy

Nanette Fabray, the American actress who known for her musical theatre performances and comedy roles in the 1950s and 60s, has passed away at the age of 97.

Fabray was a Tony-winning actress and also won three Emmy Awards for playing opposite Sid Caesar on Caesar's House.

She later portrayed Bonnie Franklin's characters mother on the CBS sitcom One Day at a Time.

Fabray died on Thursday 22nd February at her home in Palos Verdes, California.

Fabray won her Tony Away for best actress in the musical Love Life (1949) directed by Elia Kazan and choreographed by Michael Kidd.

She also appeared in 2 episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show as Dottie Richards, and Nanette's death sadly comes just over a year after Mary Tyler passed away in January 2017.

The actress was born Ruby Nanette Bernadette Theresa Fabares in San Diego but moved to Hollywood swiftly after. She had two older siblings, a brother and sister and her parents split when she was just 8-years-old.

During school in 1939, Fabray's hearing deteriorated until she was told she may lose it completely. Four operations later, her hearing was repaired but before that she had studied sign language.

Fabray then became an advocate for the hard of hearing and even used sign language while singing some songs. She also always famously signed off on the game show The Hollywood Squares by gesturing "I love you" in sign language.

After high school, Fabray signed to Warner Bros and shortly after joined the cast of Meet the People.

Nanette Fabray received a Lifetime Achievement Award for the Screen Actors Guild in 1987 and was also married to Ranald MacDougall until his death at 1973 at the age of 58.

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