British actor Angela Lansbury, famously known for her role as Jessica Fletcher on the iconic television show Murder, She Wrote, has sadly passed away at the age of 96. 

Originally from St Pancras in London, she relocated to the United States during The Blitz with her widowed mother. Lansbury then landed her first job performing Cabaret in Montreal when she was 16 years-old. 

Lansbury earned her very first Academy Award Nomination when she was 19 for her performance in George Cukor’s film Gaslight. Little did she know that she would be nominated a further two times throughout her illustrious career.

If you grew up in the ’90s/’00s, you may also remember her as the whip snap, spell-casting witch, Eglantine Price in Disney’s Bedknobs and Broomsticks. “How pleasant bobbing along… bobbing along on the bottom of the beautiful briny sea…”

She also voiced Mrs Potts in the animated Beauty and the Beast film and her voice is still used today in the stage production of the acclaimed story. 

However, she is mostly known for her run as Jessica Fletcher in the hit crime-solving show Murder, She Wrote, which ran for twelve seasons. 

Fans have expressed their heartbreak at the news, sharing some of the actor’s best and most honourable moments on social media.

One user shared their favourite fact about Lansbury, saying: “My favorite fact about Angela Lansbury is that during her MURDER SHE WROTE era she made it a practice to hire guest actors of the golden age that had aged out of the game because it allowed them to earn the union points they needed for insurance, pensions, etc.”- how lovely is that?

My favorite fact about Angela Lansbury is that during her MURDER SHE WROTE era she made it a practice to hire guest actors of the golden age that had aged out of the game because it allowed them to earn the union points they needed for insurance, pensions, etc.

— Tess Sharpe (@sharpegirl) October 11, 2022

Another user remembered her endless support for the LGBTQ+ community during the AIDS crisis. “During the worst years of the AIDS crisis, Angela Lansbury was a staple at AIDS benefits, helping raise millions of dollars to fund AIDS research & patient care. ‘This illness is robbing us of our friends and our futures. This disease knows no discrimination.'”

During the worst years of the AIDS crisis, Angela Lansbury was a staple at AIDS benefits, helping raise millions of dollars to fund AIDS research & patient care. "This illness is robbing us of our friends and our futures. This disease knows no discrimination." https://t.co/6jUwswZ2eT pic.twitter.com/rMMaoIEG35

— Eric Gonzaba (@EGonzaba) October 11, 2022

She was selfless, as noted here: “Never forget that Angela Lansbury moved her teenager children from California to Ireland to save her daughter from Charles Manson’s cult and help her son get clean from drugs at the risk of losing her career, and they are still alive and well today because she put them first. RIP”

Never forget that Angela Lansbury moved her teenager children from California to Ireland to save her daughter from Charles Manson’s cult and help her son get clean from drugs at the risk of losing her career, and they are still alive and well today because she put them first. RIP pic.twitter.com/JMznhwGSld

— Margaret "Molly" Rasberry🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸 (@RasberryRazz) October 11, 2022

Angela Lansbury is undoubtedly a force that cannot ever be matched, and she will be sorely missed. 

Rest in Peace, Legend.