{"id":411,"date":"2018-08-06T14:53:26","date_gmt":"2018-08-06T14:53:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/foreverinourhearts\/?p=411"},"modified":"2018-08-06T14:53:26","modified_gmt":"2018-08-06T14:53:26","slug":"comedian-broadway-star-kooky-edna-garrett-remembering-charlotte-rae","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/foreverinourhearts\/2018\/08\/comedian-broadway-star-kooky-edna-garrett-remembering-charlotte-rae.html","title":{"rendered":"Comedian, Broadway Star and the Kooky Edna Garrett: Remembering Charlotte Rae"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Charlotte_Rae_2012\"<\/a>Charlotte Rae, the actress responsible for bringing Edna Garrett to life on \u201cDiff\u2019rent Strokes\u201d and \u201cThe Facts of Life,\u201d died on Sunday, August 5, 2018. She was 92 years old. A cause of death was not immediately identified, but Rae was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2010 and revealed that she had bone cancer in April 2017.<\/p>\n

Born Charlotte Rae Lubotsky, Rae always dreamed of becoming an actress. She began her career as a comedian and later worked on Broadway where she appeared in 10 productions including \u201cThe Threepenny Opera\u201d and \u201cLi\u2019l Abner.\u201d Around the same time, Rae recorded an album, \u201cSongs I Taught My Mother: Silly, Sinful & Satiric Selections.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the early 1960\u2019s, Rae broke into television with \u201cCar 54, Where Are You?\u201d where she portrayed Sylvia Schnauser, the wife of Al Lewis\u2019 Officer Leo Schnauser. In 1975, Rae was nominated for an Emmy for her work on the TV drama \u201cQueen of the Stardust Ballroom.\u201d It was three years later, however, that she took on the role that would define her career.<\/p>\n

In 1978, Rae was cast as the wise, lovable and slightly kooky housekeeper Edna Garrett on \u201cDiff\u2019rent Strokes.\u201d She became such a popular character that Rae proposed giving Edna Garrett her own spin-off series. The spin-off received the green light and became \u201cThe Facts of Life.\u201d In the show, Rae once again played the eccentric but kind Edna Garrett who was the house mother at a boarding school for girls. The show ran nine seasons, but Rae left after the seventh season for health reasons. She did, however, reprise her role as Edna Garrett in the 2001 TV movie \u201cThe Facts of Life Reunion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rae authored \u201cThe Facts of My Life,\u201d a memoir in which she detailed many of her experiences including discovering that her husband was bisexual. When speaking about her book, she said, \u201cAt 91, every day is a birthday. [In the memoir,] I want to tell everybody to celebrate every day, to savor the day and be good to yourself, love yourself, and then you can be good to others and be of service to others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coworkers and fans alike have taken to social media to both give their condolences to Rae\u2019s family and express their sorrow for Rae\u2019s passing. She was a long beloved sight on television and will no doubt be remembered by the many who cherished her.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Charlotte Rae, the actress responsible for bringing Edna Garrett to life on \u201cDiff\u2019rent Strokes\u201d and \u201cThe Facts of Life,\u201d died on Sunday, August 5, 2018. She was 92 years old. A cause of death was not immediately identified, but Rae was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2010 and revealed that she had bone cancer in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":616,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[127,123],"tags":[154,135],"class_list":["post-411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-actor","category-singer","tag-broadway","tag-tv"],"yoast_head":"\nComedian, Broadway Star and the Kooky Edna Garrett: Remembering Charlotte Rae<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Charlotte Rae, best known for her role as Edna Garrett on \u201cDiff\u2019rent Strokes\u201d and \u201cThe Facts of Life,\u201d passed away at the age of 92.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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