Stand-up comedienne Judy Tenuta has died. The star was pronounced dead on Thursday, Oct. 6. She was 72 years old.
According to an announcement by publicist Harlan Boll, Tenuta died after battling stage four ovarian cancer at her Studio City home.
The comic known for her hilarious character work entertained fans over the years with her depictions of figures including the Virgin Mary. Some of these personas had their own names such as Queen of Candy-Pants, Princess of Panty Shields, and Buffer of Foreheads.
Given her act included a musical component as she play the accordion, Tenuta earned two more names, the Love Goddess and Aphrodite of the Accordion. It wasn’t just names that made these characters unique, Tenuta would also sport a variety of looks to suit each distinct persona.
Tenuta was the first female stand-up comedian to receive the American Comedy Awards best female comedian award and received multiple Grammy nominations throughout her career.
Outside of stand-up Tenuta also had a lengthy career in TV and film starting way back in 1974 according to IMDb. One of her most notable roles was an appearance in Material Girls alongside Hillary and Haley Duff. The actress also appeared in multiple musicals both in Las Angeles and Chicago including The Vagina Monologues and Menopause the Musical.
Throughout her career, Tuenuta also collaborated with fellow musical comedian “Weird Al” Yankovic who shared a statement on social media following her passing.
Tenuta is survived by her partner Vern Pang, brothers Daniel, John, Steven, Thomas, James, and her sister Barbara.