Stars and fans pay emotional tributes to Dame Angela Lansbury: ‘You shall glow forever’
Angela Lansbury. (Getty)
Tributes are pouring in for Dame Angela Lansbury, known for her decades-long Hollywood and theatrical career, who has died aged 96.
Lansbury was a mighty force within the industry, leading the cast in Murder, She Wrote, playing Mrs Potts in the animated Beauty and the Beast and starring in the iconic Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
During her decorated career she won an Honorary Oscar and has won five Tony Awards, six Golden Globes and an Olivier Award.
The Irish-British-American actor was also a keen advocate during the AIDS crisis and led campaigns and charity drives resulting in over one million dollars being raised for the American Foundation for Aids and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
“This illness is robbing us of our friends and our futures. This disease knows no discrimination,” she said at the time.
‘You shall glow forever in our hearts’
Given her impact on the showbiz industry, people and fans across the profession have been sharing their tributes to the legend.
Catherine Zeta-Jones, who starred in Broadway’s A Little Night Music, with Lansbury, wrote: “Dearest, Darling, Dame Angela Lansbury. May you Rest In Peace.
“Our Broadway double act will forever be one of the joys of my life. As the lights dim for you on ‘The Great White Way’ you shall glow forever in our hearts. Love you Angela, Catherine.”
American actor Josh Gad, best known for voicing Olaf in Frozen, said: “It is rare that one person can touch multiple generations, creating a breadth of work that defines decade after decade.
“Angela Lansbury was that artist. From Mame to Bedknobs, to Murder She Wrote to B&TB, to Mary Poppins Returns she touched four generations.”
Orange Is The New Black actor Uzo Aduba, reflected on her first meeting with Lansbury in 2012 as a “very excited theatre kid”.
“She poured so much love into each of us,” Aduba wrote. “An icon of the stage, and legend across so many mediums but, we all knew…she was always one of us :). Thank you, Angela Lansbury.”
Lansbury, who had close links to Disney, was also honoured in a tweet by the Disney Animation studios.
They praised her for bringing “such incredible warmth and personality to Mrs Potts in Beauty and the Beast. Her unforgettable performance will forever be a classic.”
The general public has also been sharing their favourite memories of Lansbury whether through her impact on screen, on stage or her activism.
