Shelley Fabares’ Cause of Death Revealed
Actress and singer Shelley Fabares died aged 82 on Saturday following a brief illness, her family has confirmed. The cause of death was pneumonia; the news has prompted renewed recognition of a performer whose television, film and music career spanned several decades.
Fabares had previously been diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis and received a liver transplant in October 2000 after nearly two years on the waiting list. Best known for The Donna Reed Show and Coach, she also appeared in three Elvis Presley films, earned two Emmy nominations and had a 1962 US number-one hit with “Johnny Angel”; she is survived by her husband, actor Mike Farrell.
- Shelley Fabares died of pneumonia aged 82.
- She was known for Coach and The Donna Reed Show.
- Her career also included films, music and Emmy nominations.
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Shelley Fabares was an American actor and singer whose career began in the 1950s and continued for decades. She became widely known as Mary Stone, the teenage daughter in the family sitcom The Donna Reed Show, and later played Christine Armstrong in the comedy series Coach.
She also built a successful pop career, with “Johnny Angel” reaching number one in the United States in 1962. In films, she appeared alongside Elvis Presley in several musical comedies, while her television work brought two Emmy Award nominations.
Fabares faced serious health problems later in life, including autoimmune hepatitis, a condition in which the immune system attacks the liver. She received a liver transplant in 2000 and was married to actor Mike Farrell, known for his role in M*A*S*H.