Shelley Fabares, the star of the classic sitcoms “The Donna Reed Show” and “Coach,” died on Saturday in Los Angeles. She was 82.
Fabares’ family said in a statement, “We will miss her deeply — not only as a celebrated performer, but as the loving and extraordinary person she was in our everyday lives. We are heartbroken by her loss, yet profoundly grateful for the years we shared with her and for the joy, compassion, and love she brought to so many. We ask that our family’s privacy be respected as we grieve. We take comfort in knowing that Shelley’s work and the memories she created with those who loved her will continue to live on.”
Fabares starred as the Stone family daughter Mary in “The Donna Reed Show,” which ran on ABC for 275 episodes from 1958 to 1966. Fabares appeared in 192 episodes and left the series in 1965. On ABC’s “Coach,” which ranf or 199 episodes from 1989 to 1997, she played Christine Armstrong, a TV news anchor and the romantic interest of Craig T. Nelson’s college football coach Hayden Fox. She earned two Emmy nominations, in 1993 and 1994, for supporting comedy actress for her work on the series.
Fabares also had a brief career as a singer during her time on “The Donna Reed Show,” notching a No.1 hit with her 1961 track “Johnny Angel.” She parlayed her TV fame into a series of teen-centric B-movie romps including opposite Fabian in 1964’s “Ride the Wild Surf,” and she co-starred with Elvis Presley in three films, 1965’s “Girl Happy,” 1966’s “Spinout!” and 1967’s “Clambake.”
Some of Fabares’ other TV credits include “The Little People,” “Forever Fernwood,” “The Practice,” “Hello, Larry,” “Highcliffe Manor,” “Fantasy Island,” “One Day at a Time” and “The Love Boat.” She had a key role on one of the most lauded TV movies of the 1970s, ABC’s “Brian’s Song,” starring James Caan and Billy Dee Williams in the true story of the friendship between two NFL players as one of them faces terminal cancer. Fabares played Joy Piccolo, the wife of Caan’s Brian Piccolo.
Fabares was born in Santa Monica, Calif in January 1944 and grew up around Hollywood. Her mother, Elsa, started her modeling career at a young age, which led to roles on TV. Fabares’ aunt, Nanette Fabray, was a well-known Broadway star and film supporting player who also transitioned to TV roles. Among Fabares’ early TV breaks was a two-episode stint on “The Loretta Young Show” in 1954. Her first major film credit came in a supporting role in the 1956 Rock Hudson drama “Never Say Goodbye,” for Universal International.
Fabares was briefly married to influential music and movie producer Lou Adler in the mid-1960s. In 1984, Fabares married actor Mike Farrell, known for his long run on the CBS comedy “MASH.” In the 1980s and ’90s, Farrell and Fabares were active in numerous political and social causes, including protesting U.S. activities in Central America and supporting the anti-nuclear movement that took root in Southern California in the late 1970s.
Like Farrell, Fabares was active behind the scenes on industry matters as a longtime SAG member. She was involved in guild leadership and helped to steer some of the early SAG Awards ceremonies. In 1998, Fabares was supportive of early efforts to combine the Screen Actors Guild with the industry’s other major performers union, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
After “Coach” ended its run, Fabares had few film and TV credits as she battled health problems. In 2000, she went through a very public health crisis in which she needed — and ultimately successfully received — a liver transplant. Her experience of waiting nearly two years for a donor liver to become available helped raise public awareness for the acute need for organ donations.