Rose Marie, star of 'Dick Van Dyke Show,' dies at 94

Rose Marie, the actress best known for her role as Sally Rogers on The Dick Van Dyke Show, passed away at 2 p.m. on Dec. 28. She was 94 years old.

The news was confirmed on Rose Marie’s website, stating that she died while at home in Van Nuys, California.

Rose Marie was born on August 15, 1923. She began her career working in radio, eventually getting the opportunity to act in several films with Paramount Pictures.

Marie joined The Dick Van Dyke Show in 1961, playing the comedy writer who went up against an industry predominantly run by men. Sally was the only woman in the writers’ room, as her character was modeled after Your Show of Shows writer Selma Diamond — one of the first women to break into the television writing industry — according to Deadline.

Marie appeared in all five seasons of The Dick Van Dyke Show and earned Emmy nominations in 1963, 1964 and 1966.

“We were always changing lines, even right up to the very minute of going on the air,” Marie said in a 2004 interview via The Hollywood Reporter. “If something didn’t work, it didn’t work. Sometimes guest stars would panic because they weren’t used to this. We were a tight-knit, hard-working crew. I couldn’t wait to get to the set each day.”

Following the end of The Dick Van Dyke show, Rose Marie then moved on to The Doris Day Show. She then began a long career that included more television, films, Broadway and nightclubs.

In 2001, Rose Marie also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A documentary entitled Wait for Your Laugh, directed by Jason Wise, has also been made about the life of Rose Marie — having been released earlier this year.

Rose Marie is survived by her daughter Georgiana Marie and her son-in-law Steven Rodrigues.