Veteran actress Jessica Walter, famed for her role as the iconic Lucille Bluth on Arrested Development and tritagonist Malory on Archer, has passed away. Her family confirmed that she died in her sleep on March 24, aged 80.
Walter’s daughter Brooke Bowman remembered her mother in a statement as “a working actor for over six decades,” whose “greatest pleasure was bringing joy to others through her storytelling both on-screen and off. While her legacy will live on through her body of work, she will also be remembered by many for her wit, class, and overall joie de vivre.”
As well as her incredible comedic timing and ability to completely inhabit the heavy-drinking, snarky character of Lucille Bluth, Walters will be remembered and immortalised digitally. Winking gifs, reaction pictures and memes featuring her iconic lines are spread across the internet—a legacy that far more people are probably aware of than her Golden Globe and Emmy awards.
Following the news, peers and fans of Walters have taken to social media to both celebrate her life and mourn her loss. Walter’s Arrested Development co-star Jason Bateman, who played her son Michael Bluth, wrote, “What an incredible career, filled with amazing performances. I will forever remember my time with her, watching her bring Lucille Bluth to life. She was one of a kind.”
Meanwhile her Archer co-star Amber Nash recalled her inimitable wit. “I was so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with and know Jessica. She was the best of us,” Nash wrote on Instagram. “She would wait for a moment and then blow us all out of the water with the funniest thing you’ve ever heard. I learned so much from Jessica. A classy gal indeed.”
Below, some of the tributes from fans and friends of the late Jessica Walters.
