The Broadway star who turned into one of the most beloved television moms on the Brady Bunch died on Thursday night. Henderson, 82, died of heart failure at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she had been hospitalized a day earlier.
“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear mother Florence Henderson from heart failure,” the Henderson family said in a statement. “On this day of thanks, our beloved mother was surrounded by her devoted children and dearest friends. We thank all of her fans for their many years of love and ask that we be allowed to grieve in private.”
Henderson was still actively working at the time of her death, hosting a talk show, The Florence Henderson Show and a cooking show, Who’s Cooking With Florence Henderson, on Retirement Living TV. She was actually in quite good health and spirits until she started feeling ill a few days ago, which is why Henderson’s death came as a shock to those closest to her. Henderson had last appeared on TV on Monday, when she was a guest on Dancing With the Stars to support Maureen McCormick, who played Marcia Brady.
“She was quite active until she started not feeling well several days ago,” David Brokaw, her publicist, said. “It was felt that she would just bounce back from it.”
Henderson, who was born in Indiana in 1934, had leading roles in several stage musicals, including Oklahoma!, South Pacific, and the Girl Who Came to Supper. She even became the first woman to ever guest host the Tonight Show in 1962. But it was what happened in 1969, when she was filming a movie in Norway and was asked to appear in the pilot episode of the Brady Bunch, that would end up marking her career.
The show ran from September 1969 to March 1974 and didn’t do very well as it was canceled after five years of lukewarm ratings. But it really took off in syndication, eventually leading to television specials, reunion shows, and even two feature films. Henderson often defended the show from those who said it was nothing but an escapist fantasy meant to help people forget about the social upheaval that the country—and the world—was going through at the time. “It was really a show that was seen through the eyes of a child,” she once said, “and it was supposed to have a little soft glow about it.”
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences said that “Florence was not only America’s favorite TV mom, but television royalty.” Many in the entertainment industry took to Twitter to pay tribute to Henderson. “Florence Henderson was a dear friend for so very many years & in my [heart] forever. Love & hugs to her family. I’ll miss u dearly #RIPFlorence,” McCormick wrote.
Barry Williams, who played Greg Brady, also took to Twitter to express his condolences: “Deeply saddened. Florence was one of the most gracious people I have ever known, Proud to call her Mom and life long friend.”
