Katherine Helmond passed away on Saturday at the age of 89 from complications of Alzheimer’s according to The Hollywood Reporter. David Christian, her husband, said, “We spent 57 beautiful, wonderful, loving years together, which I will treasure forever. I’ve been with Katherine since I was 19 years old. The night she died, I saw that the moon was exactly half-full, just as I am now … half of what I’ve been my entire adult life.”
Helmond began acting in the ’50s, but did not get her big break until 1977. That is when she was cast as the beautiful, lovable, naive Jessica Tate on Soap. No one could have played that beloved character as well as she did.
After Soap ended, she did several movies and guest appearances, and then she landed another part that would make us fall in love with her all over again. She starred as Mona, the sexy grandmother, on Who’s the Boss.
Those are two of her most famous roles but we also know the fiery redhead from The Hindenberg, Brazil, Time Bandits, Overboard, Coach, Everybody Loves Raymond, True Blood and the Cars franchise. These are just a few of the many roles she had from 1955 up until last year. She did not let age slow her and continued acting for as long as she can.
Today let’s remember her spunky spirit by watching one of her many beloved parts. I will watch Soap on Antenna TV because she always found a way to make laugh on every episode. I will smile through the tears.
