Stars have paid tribute to Friends and Desperate Housewives actress Mary Pat Gleason who has died following a battle with uterine cancer.
Gleason's manager confirmed the news telling Variety that she was "a fighter to the end".
Gleason began her acting career in 1982 with a role in the American soap opera Texas. She went on to star as Jane Hogan in The Guiding Light and won a daytime Emmy as part of the writing team on the show, which ran for 72 seasons
With over 174 acting credits to her name on IMDB, Gleason has starred in some of the biggest TV shows in the last 40 years including, Full House, L.A. Law, Saved by the Bell, Murder, She Wrote, Friends, Suddenly Susan, Will & Grace, Sex and the City, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, 2 Broke Girls and most recently in Mom as Mary.
Her final television appearance was on October 24, 2019 in an episode of Mom in which her character died of a brain aneurysm during an AA meeting.
Her movie credits include I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Basic Instinct, Traffic, Bruce Almighty, 13 Going on 30, The Crucible and A Cinderella Story.
Actress Allison Janney paid tribute to her Mom co-star on Instagram writing: "We said goodbye to Mary Pat Gleason yesterday.
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"She was part of our @mom_cbs family and we loved her so much. She was one of our favourite guest stars.
"Her kind heart and warm smile will be missed. RIP dear Mary Pat."
Mimi Kennedy, who also appears on Mom, wrote on Twitter: @I’m saddened to learn that Mary Pat Gleason (Mary on @MomCBS ) passed away.
"From her nephew 'Her curtain closed at 10:20 Tuesday evening.’
"I’m sure she was met with thunderous applause and a great party backstage. My love to you Mary and to your loved ones."
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Actor George Steeves, who will appear alongside Gleason in her last film role in the forthcoming Pencil Town, shared a series of backstage photos of them together on Twitter.
"Last night I was saddened to hear about the passing of my colleague and friend Mary Pat Gleason," he wrote.
"I had the honor [sic] of working with Mary Pat in Pencil Town last year. It was truly an honor to be in her presence.
"Thank You for the conversations and the words of encouragement. #RIP"
