‘That ’70s Show’ star, Bond Girl Tanya Roberts dies after premature death announcement

After two days of conflicting reports about Tanya Roberts’ death, the longtime partner of the actor, known for her roles in 1980s and 1990s television and movies, has confirmed that she died at age 65 on Monday, according to several news outlets.

Roberts, known for her beauty and grace on film and television in classics such as “A View to a Kill” and “Charlie’s Angels,” was admitted to Los Angeles’ Cedar Sinai Hospital on Dec. 24, her longtime partner Lance O’Brien told Fox News. According to O’Brien, she died due to complications of UTI that spread to her kidneys, liver and gallbladder.

The actor and former model collapsed after walking her dogs on Christmas Eve, her publicist Mike Pingel told USA Today on Sunday. “It came out of nowhere; it was all very sudden,” he added.

According to a TMZ report, Pingel was told by O’Brien, her partner, that Roberts died Sunday, but that information was not accurate. Roberts had reportedly appeared to have passed away although O’Brien never got an official report from the hospital, according to TMZ. The conflicting reports led to major news outlets announcing her death a solid day before Roberts actually passed away.

The Bronx, New York, native connected with her fans virtually during the pandemic. She streamed from her Facebook page weekly, speaking about a number of topics. She last held one of those online conversations Dec. 19. Her death was not tied to COVID-19, according to Pingel. Roberts had very rarely left her home in 2020 due to the pandemic, leaving primarily to check on her pets.

Roberts, whose birth name is Victoria Leigh Blum, was born Oct. 15, 1955, in a humble home in the Bronx. Her father, who was of Austrian Jewish/Hungarian Jewish descent, was a pen salesman; her mother, born in England, was a homemaker, according to her IMDB biography. At 15, she dropped out of school, got married and hitchhiked around the country until her mother-in-law had the marriage annulled. Later she met Barry Roberts, a psychology student, while waiting in line to see a movie. A few months later, she proposed to him in a subway station, and they were married until his death in 2006.

She studied acting under Lee Strasberg and Uta Hagen, which led her to appearances in off-Broadway productions such as “Picnic” and “Antigone.”

In 1977, Roberts moved to Hollywood, where the actor and model began making rounds in made-for-TV movies, including “Pleasure Cove” (1979) and “Waikiki” (1980). Her first major appearance was in the final season of “Charlie’s Angels” in 1976. After that success, she was featured on People magazine’s cover. In 1982, she graced the cover and inside spread of Playboy.

The media buzz and her time on “Charlie’s Angels” helped her secure significant film roles in “The Beastmaster” (1982), the title role in “Sheena” (1984) and as a Bond Girl in “A View to a Kill” (1985).

Roberts portrayed Donna Pinciotti’s mom Midge from 1998 to 2001 and one additional season in 2004 on “That ’70s Show.”

Topher Grace, her costar on the show, shared a tribute to Roberts on his Twitter page Monday.

“I was so sad to hear that Tanya Roberts has passed away. She was a Bond girl, one of Charlie’s Angels, and truly a delightful person to work with. I had never acted before and, to be honest, a little nervous around her. But she couldn’t have been kinder. We’ll miss you Midge.”

Fans and others paid tribute over the last day amid the confusion about her passing.