I just finished writing about the
"Facts of Life" reboot, when I learned that
Charlotte Rae died in her home earlier today at the age of 92. Rae had struggled with cancer for years. She was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer back around 2000 and more recently had been diagnosed with bone cancer in 2017.
She was first cast as Edna Garrett on "
Diff'rent Strokes" in 1978. She was so popular on the program that her character was eventually cast as the lead character on NBC's "
The Facts of Life" in 1979. Mrs. Garrett was put in charge of several teens girls at a prestigious all-girls boarding school in that series. She was the rock that helped these girls transition to adulthood and we all loved her for it.
I'm absolutely gutted. I loved Charlotte Rae as a child and throughout my adulthood. I've been a fan of both her and of Mrs. Garrett for most of my life. I binge-watch "
Facts" -- a lot. I'm just tearing up tonight...
