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Nearly a month later, new details about have been released about actress Cloris Leachman’s death.
A spokesperson for the San Diego County’s Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed to People that Leachman died of a cerebrovascular accident, otherwise known as stroke — but a significant contributing factor was COVID-19.
A few weeks ago, TMZ reported that she had died of natural causes at her home in Encinitas, California. Her daughter Dinah was by her side.
One of Leachman’s sons told the outlet, “She had the best life, beginning to end, that you could wish for someone.” He also said she “left everyone with a lot of love.”
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Cloris Leachman, Oscar Winner and TV Legend, Dead at 94
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At the time of her death, Leachman had at least two more films in the can. Both will be released posthumously.
Leachman was married to filmmaker George Englund from 1953 until they divorced in 1979. They had five children, four of whom survived her.
Many of her peers took to social media to mourn the loss of Leachman, none more poignantly than one of her old “Mary Tyler Moore” co-stars.
Ed Asner, whose 90th birthday she attended in late 2019, tweeted, “A picture from the last time I saw you. Always beautiful. Nothing I could say would top the enormity of my love for you. Until we meet again darling. #clorisleachmanrip.”
Leachman won an Oscar for her performance in “The Last Picture Show” (1971), and was best known for her role as Phyllis on “Mary Tyler Moore,” for which she won two Emmys. She appeared on one of the most famous episodes of “The Twilight Zone,” 1961’s “It’s a Good Life,” and was also a series regular or recurred on such shows as “Lassie” (1957-1958), “The Facts of Life” (1986-1988), “The Nutt House” (1989), “Walter & Emily” (1991-1992), “The Ellen Show” (2001-2002), “Malcolm in the Middle” (2001-2006), “Raising Hope” (2010-2014), and the 2019 return of “Mad About You” (2019).