Television Icon Florence Henderson, Star Of 'The Brady Bunch,' Dies At Age 82

LOS ANGELES (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Florence Henderson, the wholesome actress who went from Broadway star to television icon when she became Carol Brady, the ever-cheerful mom residing over "The Brady Bunch," has died. She was 82.

Henderson died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Thursday night, a day after she was hospitalized, said her publicist, David Brokaw. Henderson had suffered heart failure, her manager Kayla Pressman said in a statement.

Family and friends had surrounded Henderson's hospital bedside, Pressman said.

People in New York were upset at the news of Henderson's passing.

"She was an icon," said one woman. "That was our show to watch in the afternoon."

"That was the ideal life," one man said of "The Brady Bunch." "Everybody else's was different."

Henderson was best known as America's mom after landing the iconic role of Carol Brady on "The Brady Bunch" in 1969.

On the surface, "The Brady Bunch" with Henderson as its ever-cheerful matriarch Carol Brady resembled just another TV sitcom about a family living in suburban America and getting into a different wacky situation each week.

But well after it ended its initial run in 1974, the show resonated with audiences, and it returned to television in various forms again and again, including "The Brady Bunch Hour" in 1977, "The Brady Brides" in 1981 and "The Bradys" in 1990. It was also seen endlessly in reruns.

"It represents what people always wanted: a loving family. It's such a gentle, innocent, sweet show, and I guess it proved there's always an audience for that," Henderson said in 1999.

As her TV career blossomed with "The Brady Bunch," Henderson also began to make frequent TV guest appearances. She was the first woman to host "The Tonight Show" for the vacationing Johnny Carson.

For eight years she also commuted to Nashville to conduct a cooking and talk series, "Country Kitchen," on The Nashville Network. The show resulted in a book, "Florence Henderson's Short Cut Cooking."

After "The Brady Bunch" ended its first run, Henderson alternated her appearances in revivals of the show with guest appearances on other programs, including "Hart to Hart," "Fantasy Island" and "The Love Boat."

In later years she also made guest appearances on such shows as "Roseanne, "Ally McBeal" and "The King of Queens."

She also became a commercial spokeswoman and co-produced "Country Kitchen," a Nashville Network series, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Henderson married theater executive Ira Bernstein and the couple had four children before the union ended in divorce after 29 years.

Her second husband, John Kappas, died in 2002.

Maureen McCormick, who played her daughter, Marcia Brady, tweeted a picture Thursday night, saying, "You are in my heart forever Florence."

Pressman said she is survived by her children, Barbara, Joseph, Robert and Lizzie, their spouses and five grandchildren.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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