{"id":7643,"date":"2026-08-24T17:09:54","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T17:09:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7643"},"modified":"2026-08-24T17:09:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T17:09:54","slug":"shelley-fabares-johnny-angel-singer-and-actor-in-the-donna-reed-show-and-coach-dies-at-82","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7643","title":{"rendered":"Shelley Fabares, \u2018Johnny Angel\u2019 singer and actor in \u2018The Donna Reed Show\u2019 and \u2018Coach,\u2019 dies at 82"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By LINDSEY BAHR, Associated Press<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shelley Fabares, an actor who was a fixture on television for decades from her days as a young teenager on \u201cThe Donna Reed Show,\u201d through \u201cOne Day at a Time\u201d and \u201cCoach,\u201d has died. She was 82.<\/p>\n

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She died Saturday in Los Angeles, her family said in a statement to The Associated Press. No cause was given.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo her family and friends, Shelley was a source of love, strength, laughter, and comfort,\u201d her family wrote. \u201cShe had a remarkable ability to make people feel welcomed, valued, and cared for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fabares was born in Santa Monica, California, in 1944, and started acting as a young child. Her first television credit came at age 10 when she appeared on \u201cThe Loretta Young Show.\u201d Many movies and television shows followed: She acted with Paul Newman, Frank Sinatra and Eva Marie Saint in a Producers Showcase production of \u201cOur Town\u201d; was in the Rosalind Russell movie \u201cThe Girl Rush\u201d and the Rock Hudson drama \u201cNever Say Goodbye.\u201d Other early credits include \u201cAnnette,\u201d \u201cCaptain Midnight\u201d and the \u201cBlack Leather Jackets\u201d episode of \u201cThe Twilight Zone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her biggest break came when she was cast as Mary Stone on \u201cThe Donna Reed Show,\u201d where she was a regular from 1958 through 1963. During that time she also got a recording contract and had two Top 40 hits including \u201cJohnny Angel.\u201d In the early 1960s, she also co-starred in three movies with Elvis Presley: \u201cGirl Happy,\u201d \u201cSpinout\u201d and \u201cClambake.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the years on \u2018The Donna Reed Show,\u2019 the years from 14 to 19, were so incredibly important,\u201d Fabares told the Los Angeles Times in 1993. \u201cDonna Reed was simply an extraordinary woman, a woman of great strength, kindness, integrity and compassion. I am not trying to make her sound like a saint, but she had the most profound influence on me. I carry her with me today.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the late 1970s, Fabares made an impression as Francine Webster on the CBS sitcom \u201cOne Day at a Time.\u201d She also played James Caan\u2019s wife in \u201cBrian\u2019s Song.\u201d One of her biggest roles came when she was cast as Christine Armstrong in \u201cCoach,\u201d although the show took a minute to find its audience.<\/p>\n

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\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI did always feel from the very beginning if they could find the right spot for us, this was a show that would last,\u201d she said in the 1993 Los Angeles Times interview.<\/p>\n

Fabares married twice, first to producer Lou Adler in 1964. She had been married to \u201cM-A-S-H\u201d actor Mike Farrell since 1984. She was also a devoted advocate for Alzheimer\u2019s awareness, which affected her mother.<\/p>\n

In early 1999, a visit to the emergency room for an esophageal bleed revealed that she had progressive liver failure. After spending 22 months on a waiting list, she had liver transplant surgery in October 2000.<\/p>\n

In an interview with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles three years after the transplant, she said she\u2019d been \u201cchanged by the experience\u201d and was eternally grateful to Farrell who was with her \u201cevery step of the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Her family, in their statement, said \u201cwe will remember Shelley for her kindness, loyalty, wit, courage, and beautiful spirit. We will miss her deeply \u2014 not only as a celebrated performer, but as the loving and extraordinary person she was in our everyday lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Fabares died Saturday in Los Angeles, her family said in a statement. No cause was given.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7642,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nShelley Fabares, \u2018Johnny Angel\u2019 singer and actor in \u2018The Donna Reed Show\u2019 and \u2018Coach,\u2019 dies at 82 - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7643\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Shelley Fabares, \u2018Johnny Angel\u2019 singer and actor in \u2018The Donna Reed Show\u2019 and \u2018Coach,\u2019 dies at 82 - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Fabares died Saturday in Los Angeles, her family said in a statement. 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