Death
In March 1973, Ryan suffered a stroke during a performance of Pippin. Four days after being nominated for a Tony Award for her performance as "Berthe" in Pippin, after performing at the Saturday matinee, Ryan flew home to California. She was hospitalized two days later and operated on for a previously undiagnosed brain tumor. She reportedly was never apprised of the tumor and died on April 26, 1973 in Santa Monica at the age of 70.
Pallbearers at her funeral included Buddy Ebsen, Max Baer, Jr., Paul Henning, her publicist and manager (Frank Lieberman and Kingsley Colton) and Pippin co-star Walter Willison. The funeral was attended by co-workers and friends, including Donna Douglas, Harriet MacGibbon, Louis Nye, Richard Deacon, Mr. Blackwell and longtime friend/silent film star Viola Dana. Ryan's body was interred in a mausoleum crypt at the Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery in Santa Monica, California, beside her sister, Anna Thompson.
Read more about this topic: Irene Ryan
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