Florence Henderson Dead at 82

Florence Henderson

Florence Henderson, who went from Broadway star to become one of America's most beloved television moms in The Brady Bunch, has passed away, her manager and her publicist said. She was 82.

Henderson died Thursday night at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, after being hospitalized the day before, said her publicist, David Brokaw. Henderson had suffered heart failure, her manager Kayla Pressman said in a statement.

Family and friends had surrounded Henderson's hospital bedside, Pressman said.

On the surface, The Brady Bunch with Henderson as its ever-cheerful matriarch Carol Brady, resembled just another TV sitcom about a family living in suburban America and getting into a different wacky situation each week.

But well after it ended its initial run, in 1974, the show resonated with audiences, and it returned to television in various forms again and again, including The Brady Bunch Hour in 1977, The Brady Brides in 1981 and primetime soap opera The Bradys in 1990. It was also seen endlessly in reruns.

"It represents what people always wanted: a loving family. It's such a gentle, innocent, sweet show, and I guess it proved there's always an audience for that," Henderson said in 1999.

Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Will Be Hosted By Alex Trebek & Florence Henderson

Florence Henderson

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) announced today that “Jeopardy!” game show icon, Alex Trebek and Florence Henderson, stage and television star of “Oklahoma” and “The Brady Bunch,” will host the Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Friday, April 24, 2015. The reception and presentation will take place at the Universal Hilton in Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m.

In addition, this year’s Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement will be presented to producer, director, Michael Gargiulo, who in his over 50-year career has had a hand in many television classics such as “Password,” “I’ve Got A Secret,” “The Tell the Truth,” The Thanksgiving Day’s Parade,” the “Tournament of Roses,” plus many variety specials for CBS, including the “New Year’s Eve Celebration” for more than 30 years.

“I feel like we have garnered two icons of television royalty in having Alex Trebek and Florence Henderson as co-hosts for our grand celebration of the best in the craft of television at this year’s Daytime Creative Arts gala,” said Bob Mauro, President, NATAS. “Adding Producer/Director Michael Gargiulo as our lifetime achievement honoree to the evening’s festivities with his over-half a century of Emmy-Award winning work guarantees a terrific evening as we honor the best in daytime television.”

“Michael Gargiulo is a behind the camera pioneer who goes back to his days with television legends Bob Stewart and Mark Goodson,” said David Michaels, Senior Vice President, Daytime. “From his historic recording of the Nixon Khrushchev “kitchen debate” to the “$10,000 Pyramid,” Michael Gargiulo has produced and directed just about everything in a career that includes game shows, variety specials and news. We’re delighted to be honoring him with this well-deserved lifetime achievement award.”

Mother's Day Episode of 'Instant Mom' Guest Starring Marion Ross, Florence Henderson, Meredith Baxter & Jackee to Air Thursday, May 8 on Nick at Nite

This Mother’s Day, Nickelodeon pays tribute to moms with the coming together of four classic TV mothers – Happy Days' Marion Ross, The Brady Bunch's Florence Henderson, Family Ties' Meredith Baxter, Sister, Sister's Jackèe – and one classic TV daughter, The Cosby Show's Tempestt Bledsoe who will join star Tia Mowry-Hardrict in an unforgettable episode of Nick at Nite's Instant Mom, premiering Thursday, May 8 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.