Angela Lansbury Cause of Death: 'Beauty and the Beast' Voice Actress Dead at 96
Angela Lansbury, a famed London-born actress who expanded her international career through Broadway and Hollywood, has died. She was 96.
Lansbury's family released a statement confirming the actress' passing. The document, obtained by PEOPLE and USA Today, revealed that she died at her Los Angeles home on October 11 at 1:30 a.m.
She passed away five days before her supposed 97th birthday.
The same statement revealed that she died peacefully in her sleep but did not mention whether there were other contributing factors in Angela Lansbury's cause of death.
"In addition to her three children, Anthony, Deirdre and David, she is survived by three grandchildren, Peter, Katherine and Ian, plus five great grandchildren and her brother, producer Edgar Lansbury," the statement went on.
The family confirmed that a ceremony would be held privately to allow the bereaved family to honor her life and legacy.
Following the announcement of her death, her fans, friends, and colleagues paid tribute to her and sent heartfelt condolences to her family.
Angela Lansbury's Career
Lansbury, the daughter of actress Moyna MacGill and her second husband Edgar Lansbury, first fell in love with plays when her mother brought her to London's Old Vic. She was also enrolled in a school for arts and dance.
Unfortunately, those things came to a stop when the patriarch died in 1934.
They moved to New York where MacGill restarted her career. She also helped Lansbury to do a screen test at MGM, a move that helped her to land her first-ever role in "Gaslight."
Before her death, the actress was still able to share what happened at that time through an interview with the "Masterpiece Studio" podcast. According to Lansbury, she owed everything to her mother, who recognized her ability and helped her catapult her career.
Indeed, her movie debut immediately scored an Oscar nomination.
Her popularity continuously rose since then, becoming part of more highly recognized flicks. She worked with Elizabeth Taylor in "National Velvet" and starred in MGM's "The Picture of Dorian Gray."
When Lansbury married British actor Peter Shaw, it did not take them a long time to split and file for divorce. Despite the heartbreak, she continued her career and starred in more shows and musicals like "Blue Hawaii," "The Manchurian Candidate," "Dear World," "Gypsy," and "Murder, She Wrote." The latter became one of the longest-running dramas in TV history.
Her last role included the one she played in the 2018's "Mary Poppins Returns."