Sex and the City star Frances Sternhagen dies aged 93 as family pay emotional tribute

Beloved American actress and Sex and the City star Frances Sternhagen has died at the age of 93, it has been confirmed today.

The two-time Tony winning star had a number of primetime shows under her belt including Cheers, On Golden Pond and The Heiress. Her son Tony Carlin confirmed the death of the famous starlet.

A statement was released today by her family to The Hollywood reporter. The short message simply read: "We continue to be inspired by her love and life."

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It is reported that she died peacefully Monday of natural causes, according to her family as per the aforementioned US outlet.

In the hit series Sex and the City, Frances played the role of Bunny MacDougal, Charlotte York's first mother-in-law during her marriage to Trey MacDougal.

In the series, Frances' character of Bunny was very controlling and sharp-nosed. She was seen as a no-nonsense character. The role of Bunny was a cigarette smoker and avid drinker and she owned a lavish mansion in Connecticut with a greenhouse filled with orchids.

Frances also starred on the hit show ER, with her playing the role of Dr. John Carter’s aristocratic Chicago grandmother. More recently, however, she played the mother of Kyra Sedgwick’s Southern character in the series The Closer.

Known for playing roles of women who had no-nonsense personalities, Frances previously touched on this when she said: "I must say it’s fun to play these snobby older ladies. It’s always more fun to be obnoxious. I have known women like that, and I can imitate them, I guess."

Although a very esteemed actress, Frances was known to turn down movie roles. She was more keen on television roles because they did take her away from her family for too long.

But despite turning down film role offers, she did appear in a handful. In 1979 she starred in Starting Over, and in 1988 she popped up in Bright Lights, Big City. Then, in 2009 she had a role in Julie & Julia. She also starred in 1990 hit movie Misery.

Although she was best known for her work on-screen, Frances had a glowing career on-stage too. She starred in the Broadway production of Neil Simon's The Good Doctor in 1974, with her even winning a Tony award for her work in the show.

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