Tanya Roberts, an actress known best for her roles in “Charlie’s Angels” and a 1985 James Bond film, died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Hollywood on Monday evening. She was 65.
The announcement of her passing came after a little confusion that adds her to a group of individuals who have been pronounced dead twice.
Roberts was taken to the medical center on Dec. 24, 2020, after she collapsed while walking her dogs near her Southern California home. According to AV Club, the actress was put on a ventilator after it was revealed she was suffering complications of a UTI that spread to her kidneys, liver and gallbladder.
On Sunday, Jan. 4, her partner, Lance O’Brien, misinformed Roberts’ publicist that the actress had passed away. According to Roberts’ rep, Mike Pringel, who picked O’Brien up from the hospital on Sunday afternoon, O’Brien stated that Roberts, “had died in (his) arms,” according to TMZ.
O’Brien reportedly shared the information without consulting any medical staff. Pringel informed media outlets about Roberts’ death.
But, on Monday morning around 10 a.m. PT — just a few hours after articles announcing the actress’ death were published — O’Brien received a phone call from the hospital explaining that Roberts was still, in fact, alive.
The articles about the actress’ death were taken down on Monday afternoon and replaced with new ones explaining the error, USA Today reports.
O’Brien shared his mistake with TMZ on Monday afternoon, stating that he had an experience while visiting Roberts in the hospital Sunday that led him to believe that she had passed on. During the visit, O’Brien said the actress “suddenly opened her eyes and shut them.” From O’Brien’s perspective, he earnestly felt that he had watched his partner “fade away.”
Around 9 p.m. PT on Monday evening, O’Brien received a second phone call from the hospital informing him that Roberts had unfortunately died, according to TMZ,
While the confusion surrounding Roberts’ passing is certainly a point of intrigue, the actress will be remembered for much more than the way her death was reported.
In 1980, Roberts briefly starred in the “Charlie’s Angels” TV series and, in 1985, she delivered her most famous performance as the geologist Stacey Sutton in the James Bond film “A View to a Kill,” AV Club reports.
In 1998, Roberts joined the cast of Fox’s “That ’70s Show” as Midge, and in 2001 she left the show after her first husband, Barry Roberts, was diagnosed with a terminal illness. According to AV Club, Roberts returned to the series briefly in 2004 as a guest star, and in 2005 the actress gave her final small screen performance as Ellie Palmer in the “Barbershop” TV series.