Larger-Than-Life Actress Elaine Stritch Dies at 89

Elaine Stritch, perhaps best known for her guest-starring role on 30 Rock as the shrew mother of Alec Baldwin’s Jack Donaghy, passed away this morning (July 17) at her home in Birmingham, Mich. She was 89-years-old.

The New York Times reports the long-time New York resident left the city last year as her health began to decline. She relocated to her home state of Michigan to be near relatives, though the city dearly missed her. Elaine was even declared a Living Landmark by the New York Landmarks Conservancy in 2003.

The beloved actress first moved to the Big Apple in 1944 and began her acting career on Broadway. She understudied for Ethel Merman in 1950’s Call Me Madam and later received a Tony nomination for her role in the landmark musical Company (1970).

In regards to television, Elaine claims to have lost out on two major sitcom roles during her years in Hollywood. She was reportedly the first Trixie in 1955’s The Honeymooners and also revealed she blew the audition for Dorothy Zbornak on Golden Girls (the role went to Bea Arthur).

Despite a few hiccups along the way, her small part on 30 Rock earned her a new legion of fans as did her one-woman Broadway show, Elaine Stritch at Liberty.

She was married only once, to actor John Bay, from 1973 until his death in 1982, and the couple had no children.