Will & Grace star Shelley Morrison has passed away at the age of 83.
Her death was confirmed by her husband, Walter Dominguez, who shared a statement about his wife’s passing early Sunday morning. He stated:
“[Shelley] passed in Los Angeles this morning at 5:42 am at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from heart failure, after a brief illness. Shelley had recently celebrated her 83rd birthday.”
As fans of Morrison’s know, she starred in over 60 episodes of Will & Grace as Rosario Salazar before retiring from acting. Her role as Karen’s maid and friend on the show came to an end afterward, during a 2017 episode from the revival in which creators decided to have her suffer an offscreen death.
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Her work will continue to live on in the memories of viewers, which her husband continued to hint at in the statement he shared with media:
“Shelley’s greatest pride as an actress was in playing the indomitable Rosario, in a comedy series that furthered the cause of social equity and fairness for LGBTQ people. She also took pride in portraying a strong, loving yet feisty Latina character. She believed that the best way to change hearts and minds was through comedy.”
Shelley’s co-stars have since taken to social media to mourn her passing, with Sean Hayes being one of the first to share a heartfelt tribute to Instagram. He penned:
“Such sad news. Our beloved Shelley Morrison passed away today. She was absolutely hilarious and had the biggest heart. She was a part of our Will and Grace family and will be greatly missed. My heart goes out to her husband, Walter and her entire family.”
Megan Mullally shared her condolences on Twitter, posting:
“just got a bulletin on my phone that shelley morrison has passed. my heart is heavy. putting shelley, her beloved husband walter & their children in the light. thank you for your friendship & partnership, shell. you accomplished wonderful things in this world. you will be missed.”
Debra Messing took to IG to share a few words of her own, writing:
“Oh, Shelley… what a loss. Our dear Rosario has passed on. Shelley had a career that spanned decades, but she will always be our dear Rosie. She was a kind soul with a huge heart and always had a smile on her face. All my love to Walter and the entire family. #shelleymorrison ?”
And finally, Eric McCormack tweeted:
“Shelley was a beautiful soul & a wonderful actor. Her work as Rosario, season after season, was as nuanced and real as it was hysterical. She will be missed by everyone at #WillandGrace, she’s a huge part of it. Sending so much love to Walter and Shelley’s whole family. #Rosario”
Shelley was a beautiful soul & a wonderful actor. Her work as Rosario, season after season, was as nuanced and real as it was hysterical. She will be missed by everyone at #WillandGrace, she’s a huge part of it. Sending so much love to Walter and Shelley’s whole family. #Rosario https://t.co/C1vkDTU6Qk
— Eric McCormack (@EricMcCormack) December 2, 2019
Our thoughts go out to all of Shelley’s family and loved ones, including the cast and crew of Will & Grace.
R.I.P.
[Image via FayesVision/WENN & YouTube]
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