Angela Lansbury, "Murder, She Wrote" star, dies at 96

Angela Lansbury, star of the long-running drama series "Murder, She Wrote," has died, the British actress' family confirmed. She was 96.

Lansbury died "peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles" early Tuesday morning, Michael A. McConnell, of Zero Gravity Management, said in a statement on behalf of her three children. Lansbury was going to turn 97 in just five days.

Throughout her 80-year career, Lansbury starred on the big screen, television and on stage.

Lansbury won five Tony Awards for her Broadway performances and a lifetime achievement award. She earned Academy Award nominations as supporting actress for two of her first three films, "Gaslight" (1945) and "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (1946), and was nominated again in 1962 for "The Manchurian Candidate" and her icy portrayal of a Communist agent and the title character's mother.

Her stardom came in middle age when she became the hit of the New York theater, winning Tony Awards for "Mame" (1966), "Dear World" (1969), "Gypsy" (1975) and "Sweeney Todd" (1979).

She was back on Broadway and got another Tony nomination in 2007 in Terrence McNally's "Deuce," playing a scrappy, brash former tennis star, reflecting with another ex-star as she watches a modern-day match from the stands. In 2009 she collected her fifth Tony, for best featured actress in a revival of Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit" and in 2015 won an Olivier Award in the role.

But Lansbury is perhaps best known for starring as mystery writer Jessica Fletcher in the CBS hit series "Murder, She Wrote" which ran for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996. 

"Murder, She Wrote" and other television work brought her 18 Emmy nominations, though she never won one. She holds the record for the most Golden Globe nominations and wins for best actress in a television drama series and the most Emmy nominations for lead actress in a drama series.

In 1949 Lansbury married Peter Shaw, a British actor who became a studio executive and agent. Shaw died in 2003.

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.