Tanya Roberts, Bond girl and "That '70s Show" star, has died at 65 after premature death report
Tanya Roberts, who captivated James Bond in "A View to a Kill" and appeared in the sitcom "That '70s Show," has died, her publicist confirmed to CBS News on Tuesday, a day after he and her partner mistakenly said she had died. Roberts was 65.
Roberts' publicist Mike Pingel said in a statement Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles reached out to her companion of 18 years, Lance O'Brien, on Monday night to inform him that Roberts had passed away.
"She was my soulmate, she was my best friend. We haven't been apart for two days" in their years together, a tearful O'Brien told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Roberts' death was related to a urinary tract infection, Pingel said. He had been at the hospital Tuesday morning with O'Brien to pick up Roberts' personal effects.
Roberts collapsed at home on December 24 after walking her dogs and was admitted to Cedars-Sinai. She had been reported dead on Sunday, but Pingel said that was based on a mistake by O'Brien, who believed Roberts had slipped away during what was expected to be a final visit.
Numerous outlets, including The Associated Press, reported Roberts' death Monday, based on information Pingel received from O'Brien. CBS News initially published an article from ET Online reporting Roberts' death.
O'Brien, who'd been unable to see Roberts in the hospital because of COVID-19 restrictions, was allowed to visit Sunday as her condition worsened. Roberts did not have the virus, he said.
When he got the call Sunday that she was failing, O'Brien said he was "emotionally shocked because I was expecting her to come home."
One of Roberts' highest profile roles was playing geologist Stacey Sutton opposite Roger Moore in 1985's "A View to a Kill," where she held a gun on Bond after tricking him into thinking she was in a shower. The character later joined him to stop bad guys on an airship over San Francisco.
"We are saddened to hear of the passing of Tanya. She was a very lovely person," Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli wrote in tribute. Britt Ekland, who starred opposite Moore in 1974′s "The Man with the Golden Gun," tweeted: "Once a Bond Girl always a Bond Girl!"
Roberts also appeared in such fantasy adventure films as "The Beastmaster" and "Hearts and Armour." She replaced Shelly Hack in "Charlie's Angels," joining Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd as third Angel Julie. She also played comic book heroine Sheena — a female version of the Tarzan story — in a 1984 film.
A new generation of fans saw her on "That '70s Show," playing Midge, mother to Laura Prepon's character Donna. On Twitter, Topher Grace, one of the show's stars, called Roberts "truly a delightful person to work with." He added: "I had never acted before and, to be honest, a little nervous around her. But she couldn't have been kinder. We'll miss you Midge."
