Sheena, Queen of the Jungle has died. For sure. We think.

[samhexum]

Beloved and revered acting legend Tanya Roberts has died at 65.

 

No comment yet from her children Julia and Eric.

[+ sync]

Beloved and revered acting legend Tanya Roberts has died at 65.

 

No comment yet from her children Julia and Eric.

My first reaction was what a shame, only 65. Then I was thrown back to my adolescent years when 65 was past the sell date. In these times when it is not uncommon for individuals to live past 100, having individuals pass while in their 60's is hard to take.

[samhexum]

Acting legend Tanya Roberts is reportedly still alive, according to a new statement from her publicist. The news comes one day after that same rep, Mike Pingel, informed the media of her death.

 

Roberts, a former Bond girl and That ‘70s Show star, was apparently hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Dec. 24 after collapsing at her home. Pingel told the Associated Press she passed away on Sunday after being on a ventilator. No cause of death was given, but he said it was not due to COVID-19.

 

Now, Pingel tells TMZ and Los Angeles’s ABC7 that Roberts is not dead, but remains hospitalized. A manager for Roberts confirms to Entertainment Weekly the 65-year-old actress is alive. SNL could get a 'Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead' running joke out of this.

 

According to TMZ, Pingel was informed of the actress’s passing by her domestic partner, Lance. In Sunday’s press release, Pingel even included the following quote attributed to Lance: “As I held her in her last moments, she opened her eyes.” Pingel says Lance got a call on Monday morning from the hospital that Roberts was not dead. Pingel also notes Lance believed Roberts had died.

 

It’s unclear how the confusion occurred. Yahoo Entertainment has reached out to Roberts’s reps for clarification, but did not immediately receive responses.

 

"Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead" is a catchphrase that originated in 1975 during the first season of Saturday Night Live, and which mocked the weeks-long media reports of the impending death of Francisco Franco. It was one of the first catchphrases from the series to enter the general lexicon.

 

Origin

The death of strongman General Francisco Franco Bahamonde during the first season of SNL originated the phrase. Franco's allegedly imminent death had been a headline story on NBC News for weeks. On slow news days, United States network television newscasters sometimes noted that Franco was still alive.

 

Following his demise, Chevy Chase, host of Weekend Update, announced Franco's death, and read a quotation from Richard Nixon: "General Franco was a loyal friend and ally of the United States. He earned worldwide respect for Spain through firmness and fairness." As an ironic counterpoint to this, a picture was displayed behind Chase, showing Franco giving the Roman salute alongside Adolf Hitler.

 

In subsequent weeks, Chase developed the joke into a parody of the earlier news coverage of Franco's illness, treating his death as the top story. "This breaking news just in", Chase would announce – "Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead!" Occasionally, Chase would change the wording slightly in attempts to keep the joke fresh, e.g. "Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still valiantly holding on in his fight to remain dead." The joke was sometimes combined with another running gag in which Garrett Morris, "head of the New York School for the Hard of Hearing" would cup his hands around his mouth and shout the news as Chase read it. The gag ran until early 1977, with occasional callbacks in later seasons.

Edited January 5, 2021 by samhexum

[samhexum]

Tanya Roberts' cause of death revealed as her partner speaks out

 

Tanya Roberts’ cause of death was announced on Tuesday, one day after the actress ultimately passed away.

 

The That ‘70s Show star died at age 65 from a urinary tract infection, according to a statement from her publicist. Roberts’s domestic partner, Lance O’Brien, also confirmed the news and addressed the confusion surrounding her death — including Sunday’s premature announcement.

 

Roberts, born Victoria Leigh Blum, was rushed to Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve after collapsing in her home. O’Brien, who confirmed Roberts’s cause of death, told NBC News he believed his longtime love was going to be alright.

 

“I didn’t think this would be the last time I was going to be seeing her,” he explained Tuesday. “I didn’t think it was that serious.”

 

On Sunday, O’Brien said he was told by doctors to come to the hospital for an “end of life situation.” He told NBC that at the end of the visit, Roberts’s eyes rolled into the the back of her head and she passed out. He believed she died.

 

“I felt totally lost. I was crying and crying,” O’Brien shared. He called Roberts’s publicist, Mike Pingel, and explained what happened. “I told him I said goodbye.”

 

Pingel announced Roberts’s death in a press release on Sunday. The next day, media outlets were alerted that the former Bond girl was still alive, only to be informed hours later she passed away.

 

O’Brien told NBC News that Roberts was in a makeshift ward out of Cedars-Sinai as the hospital is overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. After he believed he saw her die, O’Brien claimed he couldn’t find a nurse or doctor.

 

“Trying to get info out of these people is impossible,” he said, while insisting no staff was at fault for Sunday’s premature report.

 

Pingel confirmed Roberts’s passing in a statement to Yahoo Entertainment on Tuesday afternoon.

 

“With a heavy heart I can confirm the death of Tanya Roberts (age 65) last night on Jan. 4, 2021 around 9:30 p.m. PT at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles,” he shared. “Her 18-year domestic partner Lance O’Brien received the phone call from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center last night at their home confirming her passing. Roberts cause of death was from a urinary tract infection which spread to her kidney, gallbladder, liver and then blood stream.”

 

Pingel noted that Roberts was an animal rights activist and in lieu of flowers, any donations be given to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in her name.

 

“An online memorial for Tanya Roberts will be announced shortly,” he concluded. “The family asks for privacy as they mourn her death.”