This week, Hollywood grieved the loss of one of its most enduring stars, three-time Academy Award nominee Piper Laurie. Born in 1932, the actress and Golden Age of Hollywood starlet passed away on Oct. 14 at the age of 91. Laurie’s acting career spanned seven decades and included notable roles in films like the adaptation of Stephen King‘s Carrie and television series like Twin Peaks.
The former role garnered Laurie her second Oscar nomination and went down in history as one of the horror genre’s most enthralling performances. Elsewhere, Laurie was known as one of the faces of Hollywood’s Golden Age, performing opposite starry names like Paul Newman, Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis, Rory Calhoun, and Ronald Reagan, the last of whom she dated briefly in the 1950s.
Those acting collaborations included the now-staple classic films like The Hustler, Louisa, The Golden Blade, Johnny Dark, and Ain’t Misbehavin’, among many others. After stepping away from the limelight for many years, Laurie married film critic Joseph Morgenstern and moved to a farmhouse in New York. The couple adopted their daughter Anne Grace in 1971 before Laurie reignited her career with her role in Carrie.
Recalling her work on that career-defining film, Laurie said shooting Carrie was lovely but that she “hated being mean” to Sissy Spacek, who portrayed the titular high school studio. After that role, Laurie sustained the spotlight with television credits on Will & Grace, Law & Order, Frasier, Matlock, and Murder, She Wrote. The actress’ last film role was in the 2018 crime drama White Boy Rick, which starred Matthew McConaughey.
What did Piper Laurie die from?
According to an email sent to news outlets by her manager, Marion Rosenberg, Laurie died from old age. The announcement did not outline Specific health conditions, though Rosenberg described the actress as “a superb talent and a wonderful human being.”
National World reports that Laurie was sick for quite sometime before her death. Though she remained tight-lipped about her health conditions throughout her life, Laurie was open about her Acute Anxiety diagnosis at a young age, according to The Washington Post.
Tributes have flown in from both fans and fellow celebrities alike, with Laurie’s Children of a Lesser God co-star Marlee Matlin describing the actress as a “kind, sweet spirit and fierce talent.” Laurie is one of multiple stars Hollywood has grieved in 2023, with the likes of Harry Potter actor Michael Gambon and Smash Mouth frontman Steve Harwell also passing away earlier this year.