Actress Shelley Fabares, known for 'The Donna Reed Show' and 'Coach', dies at 82

Shelley Fabares died on Saturday in Los Angeles at the age of 82, her family said in a statement to the Associated Press. No cause of death was disclosed.

Born in Santa Monica in 1944, Fabares began acting as a child, earning her first television credit at age ten on "The Loretta Young Show." She later appeared in a range of films and series, including a Producers Showcase production of "Our Town" with Paul Newman and Frank Sinatra, the movie "The Girl Rush," and an episode of "The Twilight Zone."

Fabares gained widespread recognition as Mary Stone on "The Donna Reed Show," a role she held from 1958 to 1963. During that period she also recorded two Top 40 hits, one of which was "Johnny Angel," and co-starred with Elvis Presley in three films: "Girl Happy," "Spinout" and "Clambake."

In the late 1970s she played Francine Webster on the sitcom "One Day at a Time" and appeared in the film "Brian's Song." Her later career included a recurring role as Christine Armstrong on the series "Coach."

"I think the years on ‘The Donna Reed Show,’ the years from 14 to 19, were so incredibly important," Fabares told the Los Angeles Times in 1993.

"I did always feel from the very beginning if they could find the right spot for us, this was a show that would last," she said in the same interview.

Fabares was married twice, first to producer Lou Adler in 1964 and later to actor Mike Farrell, her husband since 1984. She was active in Alzheimer's awareness after her mother was diagnosed with the disease. In 1999 she was hospitalized for an esophageal bleed, which led to the discovery of progressive liver failure; she received a liver transplant in October 2000 after a 22-month wait.

Her family remembered her as a source of love, strength, laughter and comfort, noting her kindness, loyalty, wit and courage.