Pat Woodell, the singer and actress best known for her work in the 1960s sitcom "Petticoat Junction," has died of cancer, the Los Angeles Times reported. Woodell lost her long battle with the disease at 71 years old.
Woodell passed away at her Fallbrook, Calif., home on Sept. 29, her widower Vern McDade confirmed on Monday. She battled with cancer for more than 20 years.
Patricia "Pat" Woodell was born in Winthrop, Mass., in 1944 and aspired to be a singer before becoming an actress, according to the LA Times. At 18 years old, the brunette signed with Warner Bros. and earned her first credit on the 1962 western "Cheyenne." She made a handful of TV appearances, including "The Munsters" and "77 Sunset Strip," before landing the role as one of the Bradley sisters on the hit series "Petticoat Junction."
Woodell played Bobbi Jo on the television show and starred alongside Linda Kaye Henning (Betty Jo) and Jeannine Riley (Billie Jo), according to the Hollywood Reporter. "Petticoat Junction" debuted in 1963, but Woodell left after two seasons.
"I was going nowhere with it," she told the Chicago Tribune in 1971. "I'm grateful for the television experience but that type of role is real depredation after a while and I just had to get out."
She went on to tour with comedian Jack Benny in the 1970s, according to Variety, and recorded an album. She left acting in 1973, and she married McDade five years later.
Woodell is survived by her husband and her stepfather.
