A representative confirmed to the Associated Press that Lavin died on Sunday due to complications from lung cancer, a diagnosis she had received only recently.
Despite her illness, Lavin remained active in the weeks preceding her death. Earlier this month, she attended the Los Angeles premiere of the Netflix series No Good Deed, in which she made a final appearance.
Lavin’s passion for acting emerged early in her life, prompting her to move to New York City after college to pursue her dreams.Tap Here for the Full Story
Her Broadway debut came with the musical It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane … It’s Superman. In 1969, her talent earned her a Tony Award nomination for her performance in Last of the Red Hot Lovers.
By the 1970s, Lavin transitioned to television, securing roles in popular shows such as Rhoda and Barney Miller. Her career reached new heights in 1976 when she was cast as the lead in CBS’s Alice, a sitcom inspired by Ellen Burstyn’s Oscar-winning film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
Lavin is survived by her husband, Steve Bakunas.