Dame Angela Lansbury, the London-born actress is one of the most respected and beloved performers in show business, has died at 96. Best known as the mystery novelist Jessica Fletcher on CBS’ Murder, She Wrote, the longest-running detective drama series in television history (1984-1996), the star had an entertainment career spanning 75 years. Among other accolades, Lansbury received three Oscar nominations (Gaslight, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Manchurian Candidate) and an Honorary Academy Award, five performance Tony Awards, plus a sixth Lifetime Achievement Tony and a Golden Globe. Lansbury died in her Los Angeles home on October 11.

“The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are sad to announce that their mother died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30 a.m. today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday,” her family says in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. “In addition to her three children, Anthony, Deirdre, and David, she is survived by three grandchildren, Peter, Katherine, and Ian, plus five great-grandchildren and her brother, producer Edgar Lansbury,” the statement adds. “She was proceeded in death by her husband of 53 years, Peter Shaw. A private family ceremony will be held at a date to be determined.”

Angela Lansbury Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award at the Tony Awards

     TCM

Lansbury was a beloved star of stage, television, and film. She appeared in a wide range of memorable roles, from the voice of Mrs. Potts in Disney’s 1991 animated film Beauty and the Beast to the unconventional aunt Mame Dennis in 1966’s Mame to the human meat pie-making Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, and on June 12, she was honored with the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. There to present Lansbury (who beamed in virtually) the award was the singer’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street co-star Len Cariou, 82, and the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus, who sang Mame as a special tribute (Lansbury is a gay icon).

“There is no one with whom I’d rather run a cutthroat business with,” Cariou said in his speech. “Angela’s extraordinary 75-year career was marked with many joyful moments onstage.”

“It has been an outstanding life, especially for me,” Lansbury said. “And the great news is, girls, the opportunities are out there for us at all ages. I mean, look at some of the exquisite work of the women in film today. I feel absolutely galvanized to keep going and strike out for new career goals … After all, a career, as far as I’m concerned, is still a work in progress.”

Lansbury was the earliest living Academy Award nominee, with her first Oscar nomination for 1944’s Gaslight, which occurred 77 years ago. Rest in peace.