Marcia Wallace, voice of Edna Krabappel of Fox's animated series "The Simpsons," died on Oct. 25 in Los Angeles, Calif.
"The Simpsons" producer Al Jean confirmed the Wallace's death on Friday. Wallace, 70, had been on the show for more than two decades.
"I was tremendously saddened to learn this morning of the passing of the brilliant and gracious Marcia Wallace. She was beloved by all at "The Simpsons" and we intend to retire her irreplaceable character," Jean said in a stament posted on the show's official Facebook page. "Earlier we had discussed a potential storyline in which a character passed away. This was not Marcia's Edna Krabappel. Marcia's passing is unrelated and again, a terrible loss for all who had the pleasure of knowing her."
On Saturday, show producers announced that Wallace's character would be retired from the series. Ms. Krabappel was best known for her signature laugh and her one-sided, odd relationship with Principal Skinner. Ms. Krabappel romantically connected with Homer Simpson's neighbor Ned Flanders in the most recent episodes of the series.
"Marcia Karen Wallace was born on Nov. 1, 1942, in Creston, Iowa. She was the oldest of three children of Arthur Wallace, a shopkeeper, and Joann, his wife," the New York Times reports. "Ms. Wallace majored in English and theater at Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa, and moved to New York immediately after graduation. While she studied acting, her jobs included substitute teaching in the Bronx and typing scripts."
The Emmy-winning actress was also a breast cancer survivor since 1985 and spread awareness about disease. According to EW, she was a prominent activist and advocate for woman to get early detection.
"In 2007, she won the Gilda Radner Courage Award from Roswell Park Cancer Institute for her decades of work for the cause," EW reports.
The voice actress released an autobiography in 2004 titled, "Don't Look Back, We're Not Going That Way." The novel's subtitle read, "How I overcame a rocky childhood, a nervous breakdown, breast cancer, widowhood, fat, fire and menopausal motherhood and still manage to count my lucky chickens."
Wallace was a widow of Dennis Hawley, a hotelier who died of pancreatic cancer in 1992. She leaves behind her only son, Michael Hawley.
