Actress Doris Roberts, Of 'Everybody Loves Raymond' Fame, Dies At 90

LOS ANGELES (CBSNewYork) -- Legendary actress Doris Roberts, well-known for her role in the CBS sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond," has died at the age of 90.

Roberts died in Los Angeles late Sunday night, CBS News reported. Her son, Michael Cannata, reported that his mother died peacefully in her sleep of natural causes.

Roberts was born Doris Green in St. Louis in 1925, and was raised by her mother in the Bronx, according to published reports.

Roberts' acting career began in 1952 with a role on the CBS anthology drama series "Studio One." She went to appear in "The Naked City," "Ben Casey" and "The Defenders," and made her film debut in "Something Wild" in 1961, CBS News reported.

She also starred in the TV series "Angie" in 1979 and 1980, and was nominated for an Emmy for her role in "Remington Steele," which ran from 1983 until 1987.

But Roberts is perhaps best known for playing Marie Barone – the meddlesome mother of grown sons Raymond (Ray Romano) and Robert (Brad Garrett) – for nine seasons on "Everybody Loves Raymond." She was nominated for seven Emmy awards, and won four, for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

She was also nominated for the SAG Award three times and received the award for Best Ensemble, CBS News recalled.

In a statement, star Romano said, "Doris Roberts had an energy and a spirit that amazed me. She never stopped. Whether working professionally or with her many charities, or just nurturing and mentoring a young, green comic trying to make it as an actor, she did it all with such grand love and life for people and I will miss her dearly.

"Everybody Loves Raymond" co-star Patricia Heaton and creator Phil Rosenthal mourned Roberts in a tweet.

Roberts' career began on Broadway in the 1950s. She appeared in such shows as "The Desk Set," Neil Simon's "The Last of the Red Hot Lovers" along with James Coco and Linda Lavin, and Terrence McNally's "Bad Habits" – for which she won an Outer Critics Circle Award, CBS News recalled.

Back on stage in recent years, Roberts starred in McNally's "Unusual Acts of Devotion" at the LaJolla Playhouse in June 2009. In 2010, she appeared in Nora Ephron's "Love, Loss and What I Wore," CBS News recalled.

She is survived by son Michael Cannata, daughter-in-law Jane, and three grandchildren -- Kelsey, Andrew, and Devon Cannata.