Generations of Brady Bunch fans are mourning Sunday’s death of Ann B. Davis, who played devoted housekeeper Alice on the early ’70s television sitcom.
Davis, who won two Emmy awards for her role as secretary Schultzy on The Bob Cummings Show, fell in the bathroom and hit her head on Saturday morning, said close friend Bishop William Frey to CNN.
She suffered a subdural hematoma and never regained consciousness, Frey told CNN.
The Brady Bunch, which debuted in 1969, was one of the first U.S. television shows to focus on a non-traditional family. In the case of the Bradys, a widower of three boys, Mike Brady (played by Robert Reed), marries a single mom of three girls, Carol Brady (played by Florence Henderson).
Ann B. Davis, Alice On "The Brady Bunch," Dies At 88 http://t.co/nzmPaTMMhn pic.twitter.com/BGjxcDkRoe
— BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) June 2, 2014
In 1994, Davis wrote about the wholesome The Brady Bunch.
“Wouldn’t we all love to have belonged to a perfect family, with brothers and sisters to lean on and where every problem is solved in 23-1/2 minutes?” she wrote.
'Brady Bunch' star dies after hitting head in bathroom fall. http://t.co/A2kcCE1xbp pic.twitter.com/hAdQgjR6Wj
— KMBC (@kmbc) June 1, 2014
What many Brady Bunch fans may not realize is Davis was already a well-known TV actress before she took on the role of Alice Nelson. She was almost as famous for her role as Charmaine “Schultzy” Schultz on The Bob Cummings Show, which ran from 1955 to 1959.
Because of her work on the show, she won Emmy awards in 1958 and 1959, was nominated in 1956 and 1957, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.
Born in 1926 in Schenectady, New York, she had a twin sister named Harriet and never married.
In the 1970s, she stepped away from show business to join a religious community.
Brady Bunch fans have responded in droves on Twitter to remember Ann B. Davis and their beloved Alice.
RIP Ann B. Davis aka ALICE from #BradyBunch #televisionicon pic.twitter.com/Fh8XVFaC7J
— Marie Osmond (@marieosmond) June 2, 2014
Ann B Davis. How many mornings I have spent with you. " oh Alice". RIP
— christina applegate (@1capplegate) June 2, 2014
I grew up wanting to be Marcia Brady but with 4 kids, I turned into Alice the Maid. RIP Ann B. Davis. pic.twitter.com/SJCdLA289Z
— Marlee Matlin (@MarleeMatlin) June 1, 2014
Oh no- not Alice! Peace Ann B. Davis. We loved you. #TheBradyBunch http://t.co/NzwsxMjsle pic.twitter.com/7peZzCpSb3
— mia farrow (@MiaFarrow) June 1, 2014
Image via YouTube