Charlotte Rae — the popular character actor who found fame late in life as Mrs. Garrett on “Diff’rent Strokes” and “The Facts of Life” — died August 6 at her Los Angeles home. The 92-year-old actress passed away 16 months after revealing she’d been diagnosed with bone cancer, while also announcing she was a cancer survivor after a battle with pancreatic cancer — “which is a miracle” she added, ”that they found it because usually it’s too late. My mother, sister and my uncle died of pancreatic cancer.”
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In her 2015 autobiography, “The Facts of My Life,” Charlotte also revealed more private tragedies during her long showbiz career. That included being married for 25 years before discovering her late husband, composer John Strauss, was bisexual fter 25 years of marriage!
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“It just blew me away,” says Rae. “I was absolutely devastated.” The couple divorced in 1976. two years before her career took off with her turn as housekeeper Edna Garrett on "Diff'rent Strokes," leading to the hit spin-off "The Facts of Life."
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Photo credit: Getty Images
Charlotte also bravely wrote about her battle with alcoholism, and her heartbreak over the death of her autistic son Andy — who died from a heart attack in his 40s after having been hospitalized at age 16 as a danger to himself and others.
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Photo credit: Mega
And while she wrote that her love life had only consisted of “little flings” after the end of her marriage, Charlotte was also optimistic about life when announcing she was prepared to undergo further chemotherapy in 2017. “I love life,” she said. “I’ve had a wonderful one already.”
In her 2015 autobiography, “The Facts of My Life,” Charlotte also revealed more private tragedies during her long showbiz career. That included being married for 25 years before discovering her late husband, composer John Strauss, was bisexual fter 25 years of marriage!
“It just blew me away,” says Rae. “I was absolutely devastated.” The couple divorced in 1976. two years before her career took off with her turn as housekeeper Edna Garrett on "Diff'rent Strokes," leading to the hit spin-off "The Facts of Life."
Charlotte also bravely wrote about her battle with alcoholism, and her heartbreak over the death of her autistic son Andy — who died from a heart attack in his 40s after having been hospitalized at age 16 as a danger to himself and others.
Photo credit: Getty Images
And while she wrote that her love life had only consisted of “little flings” after the end of her marriage, Charlotte was also optimistic about life when announcing she was prepared to undergo further chemotherapy in 2017. “I love life,” she said. “I’ve had a wonderful one already.”
