Prolific actress Karen Black, a favorite of gay film buffs for her performances in movies such as the beloved camp disaster flick Airport ’75 and the Southern-fried drama Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean Jimmy Dean, has died of cancer at age 74.
Throughout her more than five decades in show business, Black starred in more than 100 films and worked with a veritable who’s who of Hollywood legends, including Alfred Hitchcock, Jack Nicholson, Cher, Bette Davis, Robert Altman, Gloria Swanson, Robert Redford and Mia Farrow. Black received an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actress for 1970’s Five Easy Pieces. One of her most memorable roles came in the 1975 TV film Trilogy of Terror, in which she played four characters, one of whom is tormented by a fetish doll come to life. The movie has retained a devoted cult following.
Among her most notable achievements, however, is what’s perhaps the first performance by a major Hollywood star as a transgender person in the 1982 film adaptation of the Broadway play Come Back to the Five and Dime… a role she also played on the New York stage.
Last March, Black’s husband Stephen Eckelberry launched a Go Fund Me page to help raise funds for her treatment. Black’s health had begun to rapidly deteriorate in recent weeks. Eckelberry announced the news of his wife’s death on his Facebook page today, saying “It is with great sadness that I have to report that my wife and best friend, Karen Black has just passed away, only a few minutes ago. Thank you all for all your prayers and love, they meant so much to her as they did to me.”
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Watch Black in scenes from Come Back to the Five and Dime… below.
DarkZephyr
Oh MAN. 🙁 I am very saddened by this. I have been a Karen Black fan since I was just a little boy because I have long been a horror movie buff. Trilogy of Terror, Children of the Night, Mirror Mirror. Not to mention the countless other great films she was in. We have lost a fantastic lady today. 🙁
iluvcakes
@DarkZephyr:
I’ve seen all those films and loved them. She was a great actress. NOOOOooooo!!!
Mr. E. Jones
The 1986 film, “Invaders from Mars” is one of the best 80’s sci-fi films made. Her performance was realistic, as realistic as a sci-fi film could be. That’s why she was a great actress–her character could be in an absurd situation, but her performance always made the situation seem real. I really loved watching this lady in films.
Fitz
My heart hurts.
DickGreenleaf
She was even good playing herself in a cameo from the original Tales Of The City mini-series. She was at the fat farm with DeeDee.
jckfmsincty
It was a shame that Karen Black lost the 1970 Best Supporting Actress Oscar for “Five Easy Pieses” to Helen Hayes for playing a little, old lady stowaway in the dismal “Airport”.
Horse Lips
She’ll be missed.
GlitterKidder
One of the greats!
Kangol
@DarkZephyr:
Thank you for listing these films, and RIP to a great actress, Karen Black.
RRT
And hey, how can you not love a cross-eyed nun; who could fly a plane.
Little-Kiwi
check out this RADD pic I got with her a few summers ago, after seeing her one-woman cabaret show.
she was a total doll.
http://littlekiwilovesbauhaus.blogspot.com/2009/07/back-in-karen-black.html
Dixie Rect
Bummer.
Come Back to the Five and Dime is such a great movie! And Cher, pre-surgeries and getting her teeth fixed.