(CNN) -- Actress Bonnie Franklin, a Tony Award nominee who played a single mom at the center of the hit TV sitcom "One Day at a Time," died Friday of complications from pancreatic cancer.
Franklin was 69.
The woman who played the youngest daughter of Franklin's character on the CBS show, Valerie Bertinelli, said her "heart is breaking" after hearing the news.
"Bonnie has always been one of the most important women in my life and was a second mother to me," Bertinelli said. "She taught me how to navigate this business and life itself with grace and humor, and to always be true to yourself.
A look back at those we have lost in 2013.
Photos: People we lost in 2013
"Modern Family's" Gloria Pritchett (Sofia Vergara) and Claire Dunphy (Julie Bowen) are two of TV's most lovable moms. The pair don't always see eye to eye, but they always put their families first. Here are more of our favorite small-screen mothers:
Gallery: Our favorite TV moms
"I will miss her terribly."
Actress Mackenzie Phillips later tweeted a picture of her and Franklin, who played her mom on the same program.
"Remembering my friend," Phillips wrote. "Rest in peace."
The Southern California-born Franklin broke into show business 60 years ago, appearing on the "Colgate Comedy Hour" TV show. She racked up roles on programs such as "Gidget," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." and "The Munsters" before heading out to Broadway after her graduation from UCLA.
Her debut in "Applause" on stage earned her accolades and a Tony nomination in 1970 in the category of featured actress in a musical.
Eventually, she returned to television, including in 1975 landing the breakthrough role of Ann Romano in "One Day at a Time." She played a recently divorced mother of two teenage girls who, together, move to Indianapolis to begin a new life.
"Ms. Franklin helped define and illuminate the role of single-working mothers within the cultural landscape," CBS said in a written statement.
The show, produced by Norman Lear, ran for nine seasons.
After it ended, she scored some jobs directing and acting, most recently in guest spots on the TV Land sitcom "Hot in Cleveland" and the soap opera "The Young and the Restless."
She was the spouse for 29 years of producer Marvin Minoff, who died in 2009, as well as a mother and grandmother.
Franklin died Friday in her home surrounded by family and friends, according to CBS.
"She was a GREAT and comforting role model for single mothers, as I was one of them at that same time," wrote a CNN.com commenter with the handle Gera Merix.
"Bye Bonnie ... Have a good trip to heaven."
People we lost in 2013: The lives they lived
Loading weather data ...
© 2013 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
NASCAR legend Dick Trickle died Thursday, May 16, of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 71.
Popular American psychologist and television personality Dr. Joyce Brothers died at 85, her daughter said Monday, May 13. Brothers gained fame as a frequent guest on television talk shows and as an advice columnist for Good Housekeeping magazine and newspapers throughout the United States.
Jeanne Cooper, who played Katherine Chancellor, the "Dame of Genoa City," on "The Young and the Restless," died on May 8. She was 84.
Ray Harryhausen, the stop-motion animation and special-effects master whose work influenced such directors as Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson and George Lucas, died on May 7 at age 92, according to the Facebook page of the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation.
Grammy-winning guitarist Jeff Hanneman, a founding member of the heavy metal band Slayer, died on May 2 of liver failure. He was 49.
Chris Kelly, one-half of the 1990s rap duo Kris Kross, died on May 1 at an Atlanta hospital after being found unresponsive at his home, the Fulton County medical examiner's office told CNN.
Kelly, right, and Chris Smith shot to stardom in 1992 with the hit "Jump."
George Jones, the country music legend whose graceful, evocative voice gave depth to some of the greatest songs in country music -- including "She Thinks I Still Care," "The Grand Tour" and "He Stopped Loving Her Today" -- died on April 26 at age 81, according to his public relations firm.
Actor Allan Arbus poses for a portrait with his daughter photographer Amy Arbus in 2007. Allan Arbus, who played psychiatrist Maj. Sidney Freedman in the M*A*S*H television series, died at age 95, his daughter's representative said April 23.
Folk singer Richie Havens, the opening act at the 1969 Woodstock music festival, died on April 22 of a heart attack, his publicist said. He was 72.
Australian rocker Chrissy Amphlett, the Divinyls lead singer whose group scored an international hit with the sexually charged "I Touch Myself" in the early 1990s, died on April 21 from breast cancer and multiple sclerosis, her husband said. She was 53.
Pat Summerall, the NFL football player turned legendary play-by-play announcer, was best known as a broadcaster who teamed up with former NFL coach John Madden. Summerall died April 16 at the age of 82.
Comedian Jonathan Winters died on April 11 at age 87. Known for his comic irreverence, he had a major influence on a generation of comedians. Here he appears on "The Jonathan Winters Show" in 1956.
Sir Robert Edwards, a "co-pioneer" of the in vitro fertilization technique and Nobel Prize winner, died April 10 in his sleep after a long illness, the University of Cambridge said. He was 87. He is pictured on July 25, 1978, holding the world's first "test-tube baby," Louise Joy Brown, alongside the midwife and Dr. Patrick Steptoe, who helped develop the fertility treatment.
Annette Funicello, one of the best-known members of the original 1950s "Mickey Mouse Club" and a star of 1960s "beach party" movies, died at age 70 on April 8. Pictured, Funicello performs with Jimmie Dodd on "The Mickey Mouse Club" in1957.
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a towering figure in postwar British and world politics and the only woman to become British prime minister, died at the age of 87 on Monday, April 8.
Designer Lilly Pulitzer, right, died on April 7 at age 81, according to her company's Facebook page. The Palm Beach socialite was known for making sleeveless dresses from bright floral prints that became known as the "Lilly" design.
Film critic Roger Ebert died on April 4, according to his employer, the Chicago Sun-Times. He was 70. Ebert had taken a leave of absence on April 2 after a hip fracture was revealed to be cancer.
Jane Nebel Henson, wife of the late Muppets creator Jim Henson and instrumental in the development of the world-famous puppets, died April 2 after a long battle with cancer. She was 78.
Shain Gandee, one of the stars of the MTV reality show "Buckwild," was found dead with two other people in Kanawha County, West Virginia, on April 1. He was 21.
Music producer and innovator Phil Ramone, right, with Paul Shaffer, left, and Billy Joel at the Song Writers Hall of Fame Awards in New York in 2001. Ramone died March 30 at the age of 72.
Writer/producer Don Payne, one of the creative minds behind "The Simpsons," died March 26 at his home in Los Angeles after losing a battle with bone cancer, reports say. He was 48.
Gordon Stoker, left, who as part of the vocal group the Jordanaires sang backup on hits by Elvis Presley, died March 27 at 88.
Deke Richards, center, died March 24 at age 68. Richards was a producer and songwriter who was part of the team responsible for Motown hits such as "I Want You Back" and "Maybe Tomorrow." He had been battling esophageal cancer.
Legendary publisher, promoter and weightlifter Joe Weider, who created the Mr. Olympia contest and brought California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to the United States, died at age 93 on March 23.
Playboy magazine's 1962 "Playmate of the Year," Christa Speck Krofft, died March 22 of natural causes at the age of 70.
Rena Golden, who held top positions at CNN, died at age 51 after battling lymphoma for two years on March 21.
Harry Reems, the porn star best known for playing Dr. Young in the 1972 adult film classic "Deep Throat," died March 19, according to a spokeswoman at a Salt Lake City hospital. Reems, whose real name is Herbert Streicher, was 65.
Bobbie Smith, who as a member of the Spinners sang lead on such hits as "I'll Be Around" and "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love," died on March 16 at age 76. Pictured clockwise from left, Spinners band member Pervis Jackson, Billy Henderson, Jonathan Edwards, Bobbie Smith and Henry Fambrough, 1977.
Sweden's Princess Lilian, the Welsh-born model who lived with her lover Prince Bertil for 30 years before they were married, has died at the age of 97, the Swedish Royal Court said in a statement.
Alvin Lee, the speed-fingered British guitarist who lit up Woodstock with a monumental 11-minute version of his song "I'm Going Home," died on March 6, according to his website. He was 68.
Hugo Chavez, the polarizing president of Venezuela who cast himself as a "21st century socialist" and foe of the United States, died March 5, said Vice President Nicolas Maduro.
Bobby Rogers, one of the original members of Motown staple The Miracles, died on Sunday, March 3, at 73. From left: Bobby Rogers, Ronald White, Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore circa 1965.
Actress Bonnie Franklin, star of the TV show "One Day at a Time," died at the age of 69 on March 1 of complications from pancreatic cancer.
Actor Dale Robertson, who was popular for his western TV shows and movies, died at age 89 on Thursday, February 28.
Richard Street, former member of the Temptations, died at age 70 on February 27. Street, second from the left, poses for a portrait with fellow members of the Temptations circa 1973.
Van Cliburn, the legendary pianist honored with a New York ticker-tape parade for winning a major Moscow competition in 1958, died on February 27 after a battle with bone cancer, his publicist said. He was 78.
Former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop died on February 25. He was 96. Koop served as surgeon general from 1982 to 1989, under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
Damon Harris, former member of the Motown group the Temptations, died at age 62 on February 18. Harris, center on the stool, poses for a portrait with fellow members of The Temptations circa 1974.
Lou Myers, a stage, film and TV actor who memorably portrayed Mr. Gaines on the comedy "A Different World," died on February 19 at the age of 75.
Los Angeles Laker owner Jerry Buss died February 18 at age 80. Buss, who had owned the Lakers since 1979, was credited with procuring the likes of Earvin "Magic" Johnson, James Worthy, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. The Lakers won 10 NBA championships and 16 Western Conference titles under Buss' ownership.
Country singer Mindy McCready was found dead on February 17 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said. She was 37. During her career, McCready landed 14 songs and six albums on the Billboard country charts.
Ed Koch, the brash former New York mayor, died February 1 of congestive heart failure at 88, his spokesman said.
Patty Andrews, center, the last surviving member of the Andrews Sisters, died at her Northridge, California, home on January 30, her publicist Alan Eichler said. She was 94. Patty is seen in this 1948 photograph with her sisters Maxene, left, and Laverne.
Baseball Hall of Famer and St. Louis Cardinals great Stan Musial died on January 19, according to his former team. He was 92.
Baseball Hall of Fame manager Earl Sidney Weaver, who led the Baltimore Orioles to four pennants and a World Series title with a pugnacity toward umpires, died January 19 of an apparent heart attack at age 82, Major League Baseball said.
Pauline Phillips, better known to millions of newspaper readers as the original Dear Abby advice columnist, has died after a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease. She died January 16 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at age 94.
Aaron Swartz, the Internet activist who co-wrote the initial specification for RSS, committed suicide, a relative told CNN on January 12. He was 26. Swartz also co-founded Demand Progress, a political action group that campaigns against Internet censorship.
Claude Nobs, the founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival, died aged 76 following a skiing accident.
Richard Ben Cramer, the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer whose 1992 book "What It Takes" remains one of the most detailed and passionate of all presidential campaign chronicles, died January 7, according to his longtime agent. He was 62.
Director and stuntman David R. Ellis died on January 7. He directed "Snakes on a Plane."
Tony Lip, who played mob figures in the hit cable show "The Sopranos" and several critically acclaimed movies, died January 4, a funeral home official said. Lip, whose real name was Frank Vallelonga, was 82.
Character actor Ned Wertimer, known to fans of "The Jeffersons" as the doorman Ralph Hart, died on January 2. He was 89.
Pop-country singer Patti Page died on January 1 in Encinitas, California. She was 85. Born Clara Ann Fowler, Page was the best-selling female artist of the 1950s and had 19 gold and 14 platinum singles.
A permanent fixture on lists of TV's best moms is lawyer Clair Huxtable (Phylicia Rashad). Clair was "The Cosby Show's" loving, no-nonsense mother of five. Sondra, Denise, Theo, Vanessa and Rudy would be proud.
"Gilmore Girls" followed Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and her daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel), whom she gave birth to at 16 years old. The single mother is often included on lists of TV's top moms.
"The Brady Bunch" was in good hands with loving mom Carol Brady (Florence Henderson) leading the way.
"Arrested Development's" Lucille Bluth has questionable parenting skills, but her biting comebacks to her kids are comedic gold. Fans who've missed Lucille's winking and martini swilling are thrilled that Jessica Walter has reprised her role in the new season on Netflix.
The most quoted Florida Evans line is one said out of grief, but Esther Rolle's matriarch on "Good Times" often delivered the lines that got some of the biggest laughs.
Roseanne was the outspoken and straight-shooting leader of the Connor family on the sitcom that bears her name. She could be crass as she tended to her kids D.J., Becky and Darlene (portrayed by Sara Gilbert, seen here), but that was also a big part of her charm.
Marge Simpson has been on TV for more than 20 years and hasn't aged a day -- or lost her signature sense of style. Sadly, creator Matt Groening's inspiration for Marge, his own mother, Margaret, recently passed away.
Whether you love her or just love to hate her, "Mad Men" wouldn't be the complex drama that it is without mom of three Betty Draper, who later became Betty Draper Francis.
Edith Bunker is a classic -- and hilarious -- TV mom. Played by Jean Stapleton on the 1970s sitcom favorite "All In the Family," Edith was on the obtuse side, but her good intent won the hearts of viewers.
Shirley Jones was in familiar territory when she played Shirley Partridge, the widowed mom traveling with her kids as a band on "The Partridge Family." Her stepson David Cassidy also played her son Keith on the '70s series.
Louise Jefferson (Isabel Sanford), better known as Weezy, was introduced to viewers on "All in the Family." The TV mom of two later stole the spotlight alongside her TV husband, George (Sherman Hemsley), when she "moved on up" to "The Jeffersons."
There's a good chance "Married ... with Children" fans weren't jealous of Kelly and Bud, but Peggy Bundy (Katey Sagal), their big-haired, animal print-wearing mama, is still one of our favorite TV moms.
Leave it to June Cleaver. Wally and the Beaver's mom, played by Barbara Billingsley, certainly had her hands full on "Leave it to Beaver," which aired on CBS before moving to ABC.
Meredith Baxter, seen here with Justine Bateman, played Elyse Keaton on the '80s favorite "Family Ties." Balancing her career with her family life, she was always ready to offer a shoulder or a listening ear to her four kids.
Marion Ross played 1950s homemaker Marion Cunningham on "Happy Days." Mrs. C, as The Fonz called her, took care of her husband, Howard; their kids, Richie and Joanie; and Fonzie.
Bonnie Franklin, left, played beloved TV mom Ann Romano on CBS' "One Day at a Time." She's pictured here lecturing Valerie Bertinelli's Barbara Cooper, one of Romano's two teenage daughters on the show, which ran from 1975 to 1984.
Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) would do anything for her family: The widowed mom on Showtime's "Weeds" began selling marijuana to support her sons.
Known to fans as Aunt Becky, "Full House's" Rebecca Donaldson-Katsopolis (Lori Loughlin) became a mother figure for D.J., Stephanie and Michelle. She gave birth to her own children, twins Nicky and Alex, during the show's sixth season.
Another mother figure to make the list is "The Facts of Life's" Mrs. Garrett (Charlotte Rae), pictured here with Natalie Green (Mindy Cohn). Originally the housekeeper on "Diff'rent Strokes," Mrs. Garrett, the den mother-turned-dietitian at Eastland Academy, always had the girls' best interests at heart.
George Costanza's mom on "Seinfeld," Estelle Costanza, wasn't a part of the main cast, but she was always a welcome addition to an episode. Played by Estelle Harris, seen here with Jason Alexander as George, "Seinfeld" fans know that she only yells to show she cares.
"That '70s Show" matriarch Kitty Forman (Debra Jo Rupp) often provided comedic relief on the Fox sitcom. A nurse, wife and mother of two, Kitty took care of her family and their friends.
OK, so Kris Jenner isn't a fictional character -- but she's still one of the most recognizable moms on TV. As the head of the Kardashian-Jenner clan, Kris has given new meaning to the term "Mom-ager."
|