St. Elsewhere and True Blood actress Marcia DeRousse has died in Altadena, California, after a long illness. She was 70.
“After a long illness, Marcia DeRousse passed the morning of September 2, 2023,” her rep confirmed with Fox News Digital.
“Marcia was not your typical character actor. She was a 4’4″ outspoken dynamo with a distinct, sharp wit. An extraordinary woman.”
Born in Doniphan, Missouri, DeRousse graduated from the University of Missouri with degrees in Drama and English, according to her Facebook page.
She told TrueBloodNet.com in a 2009 interview she initially “believed that [she] was going to teach special ed” when she went to college, but “walked past the theatre department one day and walked in and that was it.”
“I thought, ‘Oh no, this is home. This is where I’m supposed to be,’” she added.
DeRousse’s first screen credit was Under the Rainbow, alongside Carrie Fisher, Chevy Chase and Billy Barty.
She also appeared on St. Elsewhere and played opposite of Michael J. Anderson in the film Tiptoes. Kate Beckinsale, Matthew McConaughey and Peter Dinklage additionally stared in the 2003 dramedy.
She was best known for her role on the popular HBO show True Blood from 2009 until 2014. Her final role was in the 2016 film The Disappointments Room, where she reunited with Beckinsale.
According to TVFanatic, DeRousse shared her recent medical struggles on her Facebook page, where she posted about falling in her doctor’s office in April, which caused a “dangerous” shift of her hiatal hernia.
“Can’t eat, can’t breathe, just general misery,” she shared with her followers, before writing, “Pallative [sic] care comes soon, and we wait to turn into hospice and then to die. Thank you all for being great friends. Love to you.”