Actress Susan Buckner, best known for her role as a high school cheerleader in the hit movie "Grease," has died. She was 72.
Buckner "died peacefully on May 2 surrounded by loved ones," publicist Melissa Berthier told People magazine.
Her cause of death wasn't disclosed.
Buckner's daughter, Samantha Mansfield, said of her mom, "The light she brought into every room will be missed forever."
"She was magic, and I was very lucky to call her my best friend," Mansfield told People.
Buckner, born in Seattle, was a beauty queen who won the Miss Washington crown in 1971 and represented the state in the Miss America pageant the following year.
She later performed with the Golddiggers, a group of female singers and dancers who appeared on TV's "The Dean Martin Show."
In 1978, she played bubbly, bespectacled cheerleader Patty Simcox in the movie adaptation of the Broadway musical "Grease."
Buckner's big scene featured her shouting, "Do the splits, give a yell! Show a little spirit for Old Rydell! Way to go, red and white! Go Rydell, fight, fight, fight!"
The film, which co-starred the late Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta, was the year's most successful, grossing nearly $160 million in U.S. ticket sales and beating out "Superman" and "National Lampoon's Animal House," according to the Box Office Mojo website.
Buckner also appeared on TV's "The Love Boat" and "B.J. and the Bear," and her most recent role was as an uncredited news reporter in the 1989 comedy movie "Police Academy 6: City Under Siege," according to the IMDB website.
She later worked as a dance instructor in Coral Gables, Florida, and taught theater at an elementary school, Entertainment Weekly said.
In addition to Mansfield, she's survived by her son Adam Josephs, her sister Linda, four grandchildren and longtime partner Al, according to Entertainment Weekly.
