The entertainment world is mourning the passing of Patti Karr, a stage legend with soap opera credits that included the roles of Tony on Ryan's Hope, Barbara Cousins on All My Children, and Maude Grandon on Guiding Light. Playbill reports that the actress died on July 11, 2020, of natural causes.
Born Patsy Lou Karkalits on July 10, 1932, in St. Paul, Minnesota, the actress made her stage debut in 1953 as a member of the dancing ensemble in the short-lived Broadway musical Maggie. Her numerous other stage credits included Carnival in Flanders, Pipe Dream, Bells Are Ringing, The Body Beautiful, Redhead, New Faces of 1962, Look to the Lilies, A Broadway Musical, and Musical Chairs. She was also a frequent understudy and standby, most notably for Chita Rivera in The Rink, Carol Burnett in Once Upon a Mattress, and Gwen Verdon in Redhead.
Karr's career also included a lot of comic character work on film and TV, often playing eccentric and perturbed types. Some of her credits include Happy Days, Kate & Allie, Mad About You, Sex and the City, and Highway to Heaven. However, soap fans may remember her for her 1980 stint as Tony on Ryan's Hope, her 1982 role as Barbara Cousins on All My Children, and her 1995 gig as Maude Grandon on Guiding Light. She also played Holly Meech on The Edge of Night in 1983.
Karr was predeceased by her parents, brother, and two sisters. She is survived by nieces and nephews, including Dagny Henry and Richard Karkalits. Memorial donations may be made to North Shore Animal League.
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