Twin Peaks and Carrie star Piper Laurie dies as fans pay tribute to actress
Emmy winning actress Piper Laurie known for her work in hit productions including Twin Peaks and Carrie has passed away at the age of 91.
Her manager Marion Rosenberg confirmed her death in a statement where she described her as "one of the most remarkable and versatile actresses of her day," and a "brilliant and creative mind, and a glorious human being." Piper died in Los Angeles on Saturday morning after a long spell of poor health.
She was best known for her Oscar nominated role in the 1976 Stephen King horror novel adaptation Carrie where she played the mother of the title character. Piper was also nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her role in The Hustler years earlier where she played Paul Newman's girlfriend, Sarah Packard.
Piper also won a Golden Globe for her role in cult-classic Twin Peaks as Catherine Martell.
Piper was an award winning actress (Getty Images for TCM)
Piper was well known for her role in Carrie (Getty Images)Born as Rosetta Jacobs on January 22, 1932 Piper was the youngest of two children. She came from a humble background where her mother Charlotte was a housewife and her father Alfred a furniture dealer.
At the age of six she spent three years in a children's asylum in Los Angeles alongside her sister who was in the institution for health reasons. She later said of the experience that it made her very quiet, “changed my life and gave me the great gift of imagination because I relied on myself,” adding that when she eventually left she “wanted to create, be brave, do something wonderful in the world.”
After her role in Hustler Piper took a 15 year break from acting and moved to Woodstock in New York to raise her daughter Anne with her entertainment journalist husband Joe Morgenstern who she was married to between 1962 - 1982. She studied sculpture at the time and subsequently starred in The Glass Menagerie on Broadway.
Over more recent years Piper starred in hit television series including Frasier, Will & Grace, ER, Touched by an Angel, and MacGyver. Her last movie role came in the Matthew McConaughey film White Boy Rick in 2018. Piper is survived by her daughter Anne.
Fans were quick to pay tribute on social media. One user on Twitter wrote: "RIP to Piper Laurie, an amazing actress who could play both a damaged love heroine in The Hustler & the monstrous mother in Carrie."
Another added: ". We lose one of the great artists of the Golden Age of Hollywood, a wonderful woman. Rest in peace," while a third said: "R.I.P. Piper Laurie, the queen. She always did great work but when she had material as good as Twin Peaks, Carrie, and The Hustler, she made it unforgettable."
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