She was the house mother to my entire generation.
Actress Charlotte Rae — who played Mrs. Garrett on “The Facts of Life” and “Diff’rent Strokes” — died Sunday at her home in Los Angeles, according to her publicist.
The Emmy-nominated television star was 92. Her death was confirmed by Fox News.
Loved ones were reportedly at Rae’s side when she passed away on Sunday. The actress had been diagnosed with bone cancer in April 2017, and pancreatic cancer about seven years earlier.
“At 91, every day is a birthday,” Rae said in a statement after revealing her most recent diagnosis.
“I’m feeling so terrific and so glad to be above ground,” she explained. “Now I have to figure out whether I want to go have treatment again or opt for life…I’ve had a wonderful one already…I’ve had a great life, but I have so many wonderful things happening. I’d like to choose life. I’m grateful for the life I’ve already had.”
Born Charlotte Rae Lubotsky, the actress grew up in Milwaukee and later attended Northwestern University — studying alongside a slew of acting greats, such as Charlton Heston and Paul Lynde.
She began her career in radio and theater before branching out to television in the 1950s.
Rae appeared in a number of hit shows, including “The Partridge Family” and “The Defenders,” before landing her most popular role in 1978.
As Edna Garrett, the witty housekeeper from “Diff’rent Strokes,” Rae managed to steal the hearts of millions — so much, in fact, that she later earned her own spinoff.
“The Facts of Life” debuted in 1979 and centered around Mrs. Garrett’s relationship with a group of girls she met in the season 1 finale of “Diff’rent Strokes.” The series went on to become one of TV’s longest-running sitcoms, even outlasting its predecessor by two years.