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Actress Shirley Mitchell has died, as first reported by TMZ. Mitchell had a career in radio, film, and television that spanned more than 50 years, but she was best known as I Love Lucy’s Marion Strong, a friend of Lucy Ricardo’s who appeared in three episodes. She may not have gotten as much screen time as some of Lucy’s other friends, but Marion has a special place in the show’s history, as she was the one who first set Lucy up with Ricky. And at the age of 94, Mitchell was I Love Lucy’s last ...

It's hard to believe that the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League is all gone. Shirley Mitchell, who played Lucy and Ethel's gossipy friend Marion Strong on I Love Lucy, has died. She was 94 and is believed to be the last surviving adult cast member from the classic 1950s sitcom. (Doris Singleton, who played Carolyn Appleby, just died last year.) The actress' sister-in-law, fellow thesp Nancy Olson, told The Hollywood Reporter that Mitchell died Monday of heart failure at her home in Westwood. Though Mitchell actually only appeared in three episodes of I Love Lucy (replacing the original Marion, Margie Liszt), she truly played a key role even in absentia: During a fight with...

Shirley Mitchell, who played Lucy Ricardo’s friend Marion Strong on the classic CBS sitcom I Love Lucy, died Monday. She was 94. Remembered as Lucy’s friend with the funny laugh, Mitchell appeared in three episodes of I Love Lucy after joining the cast in 1953. She was believed to be the last recurring adult cast member following the deaths of Doris Singleton in 2012 and Peggy Rea in 2011. Mitchell appeared on numerous TV shows in the 1950s and ’60s including Bachelor Father starring John Forsythe, Please Don’t Eat The Daisies as neighbor Marge Thornton, Petticoat Junction and The Beverly Hillbillies. She also appeared as Clara Appleby, the wife of henpecked husband George Appleby (Red Skelton) on The Red Skelton Hour. In 1972, she voiced Laurie Holiday on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series The Roman Holidays and last year voiced Betty White in Betty White & The Huntsman. On the film side, Mitchell appeared...

Shirley Mitchell, the actress who played Marion Strong, Lucy Ricardo's cackling friend on "I Love Lucy" has died.Mitchell is the last-surviving adult castmember.  She died at age 94 of heart failure in her Westwood condo.Marion Strong has this distinction -- she set up Lucy and Ricky on their first date.Mitchell was no stranger to sitcoms.  She also appeared on the hit show, "Bachelor Father," playing John Forsythe's secretary.Mitchell also played Opal Clampett on "The Beverly Hillbillies.

Shirley Mitchell, the comic actress who played Marion Strong, Lucy Ricardo's friend with the cackling laugh on the TV classic I Love Lucy, has died. She was 94. Mitchell, who was believed to be the last surviving adult castmember from the legendary CBS sitcom, died Nov. 11 of heart failure at her condominium in Westwood, her sister-in-law, the Oscar-nominated Sunset Blvd. actress Nancy Olson, told The Hollywood Reporter. Mitchell was the widow of Jay Livingston, the pop composer and lyricist who collaborated with Ray Evans on the Academy Award-winning songs “Mona Lisa” (performed by Nat King

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Her laugh will live on. Shirley Mitchell, best known as Lucy Ricardo's cackling friend on I Love Lucy, has died at the age of 94, her sister-in-law Nancy Olson told The Hollywood Reporter on Nov. 13. Believed to be the last surviving cast member of the legendary sitcom, Mitchell passed away of heart failure at her condo in Westwood, Calif., Olson said. (Olson herself is an Oscar-nominated actress who starred in Sunset Blvd.) Mitchell joined the cast of I Love Lucy during the third season, which ran from [...]...