Ruth Buzzi, a variety-show veteran most famous for her role on “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In”, has died. She was 88.
Buzzi died May 1 at her Texas home, her agent Michael Eisenstadt confirmed to USA TODAY in a May 2 statement.
“Her husband of almost 48 years, Kent Perkins expressed to me that she was making people laugh just a few days ago,” Eisenstadt wrote. “I was Ruth’s agent for over 30 years. She was warm, loving and funny. A great person who was considered a family member.”
A female comic from an era when they were scarce, Buzzi “passed away peacefully,” according to Eisenstadt, due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease, a neurodegenerative condition from which she suffered for 10 years.
Buzzi, whose comedy was as physical as it was cerebral, reeled in laughs from audience members as Gladys Ormphby on “Laugh-In” − a curmudgeonly and drably dressed woman whose weapon of choice was a purse she would comically swing at those passing her threshold of annoyance.
Part of an all-star ensemble on a show that claimed a definitive role in the cultural zeitgeist, Buzzi appeared on “Laugh-In” from 1968 to 1973, earning a Golden Globe for best supporting actress in a series, miniseries, or motion picture made for television as well as several Emmy nominations in the process.
The show, replete with flower-power aesthetics and a raunchy sensibility, showed off Buzzi’s knack for physical comedy above the neck, her characters often contorting their faces for the sake of caricature.
Starting work as an entertainer right out of high school, Buzzi got her start with a guest spot on “The Gary Moore Show,” later becoming a regular on “The Entertainers,” a CBS variety show.
Her variety series chops grew with a stint on “The Steve Allen Comedy Hour,” helping her to land the “Laugh-In” gig and cementing her performance niche as a brilliant character actress with a knack for timing.
Outside of the variety show circuit, Buzzi enjoyed an illustrious career, with several film roles, guest spots on television series, time spent as a regular on “Sesame Street” and a smattering of off-Broadway productions.
In a post made shortly before the announcement of her death, Buzzi’s husband, Kent Perkins, wrote on her Facebook page: “She wants you to know she probably had more fun doing those shows than you had watching them.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ruth Buzzi dead: ‘Laugh In’ star was 88
