The woman known to many of us as Carol Brady, actress Florence Henderson, has died at the age of 82.
Florence was hospitalised on Wednesday and passed away after suffering heart failure on Thursday night at LA’s Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre, her publicist David Brokaw and manager Kayla Pressman announced. They said the Brady Bunch star died surrounded by her family and friends.
The Brady Bunch, which was first shown in 1969, was loved by millions all over the world and was one of the first television programmes to introduce a blended family. As the famous theme song reminded us at the start of each episode, Florence’s smiling character Carol was a single mum raising three daughters when she met Robert Reed’s Mike Brady, a single dad to three boys. The amalgamated eight then became The Brady Bunch, along with wise-cracking live-in housekeeper Alice, played by Ann B. Davis. Henderson is pre-deceased by both of her co-stars; Reed died in 1991 after battling colon cancer, and Davis passed away in 2014 following a fall at her home.
The much-loved sitcom, which was endlessly re-run came back in various guises, including The Brady Bunch Hour in 1977, The Brady Brides in 1981 and The Bradys in 1990. Speaking about her time playing Carol Brady, Henderson said on her Facebook page:
“I played Carol as the mother I always wished I had, as the mother a lot of people wished they had.”
She said of The Brady Bunch:
“It represents what people always wanted: a loving family. It’s such a gentle, innocent, sweet show, and I guess it proved there’s always an audience for that.”
Born in 1934, in Indiana, Florence was the tenth child of a tobacco farmer of Irish heritage. She married theatre executive Ira Bernstein and the couple had four children before the marriage ended in divorce after 29 years. Her second husband, John Kappas, died in 2002. After The Brady Bunch ended Henderson appeared in many other popular television programs, including Hart to Hart, Fantasy Island and The Love Boat.
In later years, she also made guest appearances on shows such as Roseanne, Ally McBeal and The King of Queens. One of her final public appearances was on the final of the American version of Strictly Come Dancing, where she was in the audience to support her fellow Brady Bunch cast member, Maureen McCormick, who was a contestant on Dancing With The Stars. McCormick, who played eldest daughter Marcia Brady, took to Twitter today to pay tribute to her 0n-screen mother:
Florence Henderson was a dear friend for so very many years & in my <3 forever. Love & hugs to her family. I’ll miss u dearly #RIPFlorence
— Maureen McCormick (@MoMcCormick7) November 25, 2016
https://twitter.com/MoMcCormick7/status/802038231294320640
Florence Henderson is survived by her children; Barbara, Joseph, Robert and Lizzie, their respective spouses, and five grandchildren.
Were you a fan of the show? Let us know your Brady Bunch memories in the comments. You can also join the conversation on Twitter @HerFamilydotie
