Angela Lansbury, a true Hollywood icon, passed away at the age of 96.

This incredible woman captivated millions in her youth, then went on to become a Broadway musical sensation, and drew even bigger audience portraying a widowed mystery writer on the long-running television series “Murder, She Wrote.”

She died in her sleep in her Los Angeles home.

Angela’s career, across film, TV, and stage, spanned 75 years.

Angela Brigid Lansbury was born on October 16, 1923, in London, England. She suffered a huge heartbreak when her father died. She was just nine years old at the time and the loss affected her childhood and life a great deal.

In an attempt to cope with her grief, young Angela found solace in performance, and that saved her. She would later describe it as a “defining moment of her life.”

Nothing before or since has ever affected me so deeply,” she told Closer. “I became something of a dreamer, lost in my grief [and] much more interested in acting, following the example of my mother.”