NEW YORK (AP/CBS New York) — Elaine Stritch, the brash theater performer whose gravelly, gin-laced voice and impeccable comic timing made her a theatrical icon, has died, according to Brigade Marketing. She was 89.
Stritch died at home Thursday in Birmingham, Mich.
More recently known for portraying Alec Baldwin’s mother on “30 Rock” (and winning a third Emmy while doing it), Stritch championed television and movies, but it was the stage she was best known for.
From her candid one-woman memoir, “Elaine Stritch: At Liberty,” to the Stephen Sondheim musical “Company,” Stritch remained a high caliber performer.
Probaby even more well-known was Stritch’s style. Her signature look was wearing a loose fitting white shirt, high heels and sheer black tights.
In early March, Stritch spoke with CBS as she prepared for her final shows at New York’s famed Café Carlyle and could easily be described as a force of talent to be reckoned with.
She worked well into her late 80s, most recently as Madame Armfeldt in a revival of Sondheim’s musical, “A Little Night Music.” She replaced Angela Lansbury in 2010 to critical acclaim.
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