Actress Angela Lansbury, Dead At 96, Lived A Full Life And Thanked God For All Of It

Super sleuth and iconic actress Angela Lansbury is dead at age 96. She died in her sleep at her home in Los Angeles on October 11, 2022, just five days before turning 97.

After such a prolific career in Hollywood, it's hard to believe Angela Lansbury is dead. But oh, what a life she lived. And the Christian celebrity knew just where to place her faith in both the good times and the bad -- God!

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Angela Lansbury appeared in movies, on TV, and on Broadway. Many remember her role as Jessica Fletcher, a widow turned amateur sleuth in the hit TV show, Murder She Wrote. The popular mystery series ran for 12 seasons, which included 264 episodes (and 286 murders!).

Other credits include plenty of movies from the 50s and 60s, as well as voicing the character of Mrs. Potts in Disney's 1991 animated film, Beauty And The Beast, along with a role in the 1971 Disney movie, Bedknobs And Broomsticks.

Angela's illustrious acting career fulfilled a lifelong dream belonging to her mother (Moyna Macgill). 

“I owe a lot to my mother who was herself an actress with a dream. Thanks to her, I fulfilled her dream,” Angela recalled.

Moyna's career never reached the same heights as Angela's. But it was undoubtedly a blessing to see her daughter achieve even more than she ever could (isn't every parent wishing for a better life for their child?).

When asked her greatest achievement, Angela Lansbury replied, “Staying alive!” And the Lord granted her a long life, indeed. And while it clearly held many blessings, Angela endured her fair share of adversity, too.

If fact, interestingly enough, her success in acting may never have happened if not for several hardships she endured during her youth.

God Sets A New Path

Though born in London in 1925, Angela Lansbury had deep roots in Ireland, which remained a source of pride throughout her life.

“I was born in London but I’m very proud of my Irish heritage,” she said.

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But tragedy and war charted a new course for Angela by age 9. 

“My dear father died in 1934 and that left my mother to take care of my sister and our twin brothers. She had given up her career to become a mum but tried to revive it when she became [the] breadwinner,” she explained. “The war brought havoc... we were penniless. We were evacuated to America and that meant a complete change to our lives."

To make a living, Moyna Macgill got back into acting and her daughter, Angela Lansbury, followed suit. And by age 17, Angela landed a role in the film Gaslight which launched her remarkable career. But even with all the fame and accolades, Angela Lansbury always knew the true source of her net worth and success: God!

“I’m grateful to all those people who have supported me and I am grateful to God for giving me the life I’ve had and hopefully a lot more to come," she said in 2017. 

WATCH: Angela Lansbury In Her Own Words

Angela Lansbury Dead: Finding Hope In The Darkness

Angela Lansbury, dead at 96, certainly lived a full and vibrant life. Though her first marriage at age 19 only lasted seven months, her second was a true love that lasted a lifetime.

When Angela went to work for MGM, she met Peter Shaw. At the time, he was an agent with the company, though he later went on to also work as a Producer.

Angela Lansbury and Peter Shaw married in 1949 and remained together for 53 years until Peter died from heart failure at the age of 84. 

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"I had a wonderfully happy marriage to Peter," Angela said. "We had our moments when we could have hit each other out of the ball park, but it didn't allow us to think that we couldn't make it through. We always made it through."

The couple raised three children together -- Anthony, Deirdre, and David. And in addition to Angela Lansbury's children, at the time of her death, she was survived by three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren!

Throughout her life, one thing that never changed was Angela's devotion to God. She knew He was the true source of joy.

"I pray all the time," she said. "I believe in God, in a Christian way. I'm not a great church-goer, but I do put my faith in God. I'm very thankful to him."

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So, when the family of Angela Lansbury announced the time-honored actress was dead, we take comfort in knowing she's now at home with her Heavenly Father. Her time on earth may be done, but her legacy will live on for many years to come!

WATCH: Celebrating The Legacy Of Angela Lansbury

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h/t: The New York Times

Featured Image Credit: Facebook/WSFM with Jonesy and Amanda

Mel is the senior writer for GodUpdates, finding, writing and sharing Christian, uplifting, and health-related stories from around the world. Mel has a passion for writing and graduated with a degree in English from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. When she’s not researching and writing stories, Mel is very active in her church. You can usually find Mel playing board games with her husband and two young girls, giving someone a hug, or hunting down a good cup of coffee!