Death of Marcia Wallace

"Ned: Sure do miss that laugh. Nelson: Ha-ha! I miss her, too..."

- Ned Flanders and Nelson Muntz, "The Man Who Grew Too Much"

Marcia Wallace was an American actress and comedian best known for her roles as Edna Krabappel on The Simpsons (which won her an Emmy in 1992 for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in the episode "Bart the Lover") and Carol Kester on The Bob Newhart Show, with guest roles on shows such as mh:besttvshows:ALF, mh:besttvshows:Full House, and mh:besttvshows:The Brady Bunch. Her career in TV, film, and stage spanned across five decades, with her being known for having a tall frame and distinct laugh as well as being a frequent guest on The Merv Griffin Show (which led to her being invited onto The Bob Newhart Show).

In 1985, Wallace was diagnosed with breast cancer. This spurred her to become a cancer activist, which she remained as until her death on October 25th, 2013 at the age of 70. Her cause of death was ruled as sepsis and pneumonia, though her breast cancer was determined to have contributed to it as well. Her body was cremated after a private funeral service and her ashes were spread in the Pacific Ocean.

Following the news of her death, various celebrities who worked alongside Wallace, such as Al Jean, Yeardley Smith, and Bob Newhart, having been aware of her illness prior to her death, expressed their condolences. The Simpsons episode "The Man Who Grew Too Much," aired posthumously on March 9, 2014, was the last episode where she recorded new lines for Mrs. Krabappel, and the episode "Four Regrettings and a Funeral," aired November 3, 2013, was dedicated to her. In February of 2021, Showrunner Al Jean announced that the episode "Diary Queen" would make use of archived recordings of her voice one last time. In an interview with Variety, Jean stated that "…we never got the chance to give sort of a proper goodbye to her in the show, and this is a small attempt to do that. And, you know, she was so beloved by everybody that worked on The Simpsons, that we just sort of wanted to give her one last moment on the show in her memory."

'''Rest In Peace, Marcia Wallace. (November 1, 1942 - October 25, 2013)'''