Shelley Morrison, a comedic actress best known for her work on Will & Grace , has passed away at the age of 83, E! News confirms .
Shelley was known for her role as Rosario Salazar on ‘Will & Grace.’
The character was initially only set to appear in one episode, but her comedic chemistry with Megan Mullally was so popular that the role became recurring, and Shelley appeared in over 60 episodes during the show’s original eight seasons.
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Shelley’s husband confirmed her passing on Sunday in a statement.
Her husband, Walter Dominguez, wrote, “Shelley passed in Los Angeles this morning at 5:42 am at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from heart failure, after a brief illness.”
“Shelley had recently celebrated her 83rd birthday.”
“Shelley’s greatest pride as an actress was in playing the indomitable Rosario, in a comedy series that furthered the cause of social equity and fairness for LGBTQ people,” he wrote.
“She also took pride in portraying a strong, loving yet feisty Latina character. She believed that the best way to change hearts and minds was through comedy.”
Shelley’s Will & Grace co-stars also took to social media to share their own tributes. Sean Hayes, who played Jack, wrote, “Such sad news. Our beloved Shelley Morrison passed away today. She was absolutely hilarious and had the biggest heart.”
Debra Messing, who played Grace, shared a video to her Instagram.
“Oh, Shelley… what a loss. Our dear Rosario has passed on. Shelley had a career that spanned decades, but she will always be our dear Rosie. She was a kind soul with a huge heart and always had a smile on her face,” she wrote alongside the video.
Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and loved ones at this time.
