Emmy Award-nominated actress and singer Shelley Fabares, who had a decades-long TV career and co-starred with Elvis Presley in three movies, has died aged 82.
Fabares’ breakthrough success came in the 1950s on The Donna Reed Show, where she played the star’s daughter Mary, while she later appeared on sitcom Coach from 1989 to 1997.
The star’s family, including M*A*S*H actor Mike Farrell, announced her death on Sunday night, confirming she had died on Saturday in Los Angeles after a brief illness, surrounded by her loved ones.
‘To her family and friends, Shelley was a source of love, strength, laughter, and comfort,’ Fabares’ family said in a statement to People Magazine. ‘She was a devoted wife, cherished stepmother, daughter, sister, niece, aunt, family member, and loyal friend whose warmth, generosity, humor, and grace made an enduring difference in the lives of everyone who knew her. She had a remarkable ability to make people feel welcomed, valued, and cared for.’
‘For millions, Shelley was a beloved actress whose work became part of the fabric of American television and film,’ they continued, highlighting some of her most popular work – as well as her Billboard chart-topping number one single, Johnny Angel.
‘But to those closest to her, her greatest legacy was personal: the love she gave so freely, the friendships she treasured, and the family bonds she held dear.’
Fabares was born in Santa Monica, California, in 1944, and was the niece of actress and singer Nanette Fabray, who co-starred with Fred Astaire in the 1953 movie musical The Band Wagon and later played Fabares’ mother on Coach.
After making her acting debut aged three, Fabares first television appearance came in 1954 on an episode of The Loretta Young Show, with her co-stars the next year including Frank Sinatra and Paul Newman in the Producers’ Showcase adaptation of Our Town.
She also appeared on Annette in 1958, a TV serial that ran on The Mickey Mouse Club and featured one of its original stars, Annette Funicello, before becoming a fan favourite among teens on The Donna Reed Show from 1958 to 1965.
Capitalising on her popularity, Fabares signed a recording contract and released two albums, despite joking that she couldn’t sing. Alongside her no. 1 single Johnny Angel, she also had top 40 hits with Johnny Loves Me and Ronnie, Call Me.
Her film career saw her cast as one of the female leads in 1964’s Ride the Surf, before she was Elvis Presley’s love interest in 1965’s Love Happy and the love interest of Herman’s Hermits’ Peter Noone in Hold On! the following year.
She then reunited with Elvis for Spinout (1966) and Clambake (1967) before starring opposite Hank Williams Jr. in A Time to Sing (1968).
After a period of TV guest roles in the ’60s, Fabares earned a Golden Globe nomination for playing the wife of Chicago Bears athlete Brian Piccolo (James Caan) on the 1971 ABC television film Brian’s Song.
Regular roles on The Brian Keith Show and Forever Fernwood followed, before she played against type as the villainous Francine Webster on sitcom One Day at a Time.
After starring in 1983 TV film Memorial Day with Farrell, the pair tied the knot; Fabares had previously been married to record and film producer Lou Adler, wedding in 1964 but separating in 1966 and later divorcing in 1980.
