I never watched a single episode of "Designing Women" -- I know, and I've never seen "Steel Magnolias" (I'm not big on "The South") -- but it still makes me enormously sad to see that Dixie Carter has died. (She was 70.) I understand her family's need for privacy, but her hubby, actor Hal Holbrooke, sure isn't helping things with this:
“This has been a terrible blow to our family,” Holbrook said in a written statement. “We would appreciate everyone understanding that this is a private family tragedy.”
Did Julia Sugarbaker commit suicide? Or was there a horrible accident? Or is the death of a woman of a certain age still considered a "private family tragedy" in the South? If so, somewhere Tennessee Williams is loving all the drama -- and so is Dixie.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
RIP, Dixie Carter
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13 comments:
Excuse me? "Did Julia Sugarbaker commit suicide? Or was there a horrible accident?" Why does a public figure's family have to put EVERYTHING out there.
I agree with her husband, this is a private family matter and we should respect their wishes and not go flying off the handle assuming they are trying to cover something up.
Waaaah? Sure, "Designing Women" was an ersatz "Golden Girls" and wildly uneven in its funniness, but still -- a bunch of Southern belle interior designers in Atlanta appear in a sitcom and ... and... you haven't seen a single episode?
As for Steel Magnolias, you should watch it for your gay bona fides, but also because there is a sweet locker room scene with lots of tight linebacker butts (and Shirley MacLaine).
PS the word verification i have to type in is "phalitio" -- gay misspelling ftw
His quote in WaPo seems odd. The NYT did better: endometrial cancer and a Houston hospital.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/arts/television/12carter.html
Steel Magnolias? And whose business is it what she died from?
It is rather odd that no one has yet listed a cause of death.
At any rate, Dixie Carter was an incredible woman. Hal Holbrook was a very lucky man for having been married to her for 26 years.
I will admit it...I have seen every single episode of Designing Women (my grandmother would watch it every week), and have since watched them again in reruns. Julia Sugarbaker made the show. I doubt anyone could have played the role of Julia quite like Dixie Carter.
It is a very sad loss!
I've heard she was treated for cancer, but maybe she ended her own life in relation to it? Or death by plastic surgery? The lack of a location where she died, etc., is mysterious. Whatever it is, it's not just old age or a disease, or if it is, the announcement is far too mysterious.
She died from "complications from endometrial cancer." The source is wiki so take it for what it's worth.
K, you write the most stupid things some times, yet you call yourself a journalist. Ha!
Ken is 100 percent right. All of these comments reveal a complete ignorance of many things, including but not limited to: what it means to be a journalist; what should be included in an obituary; and what it means to be a public person.
I think everyone is losing site of the MOST important fact: we have all lost a wonderful actress and our thoughts should simply be with her family.
Dixie was a wonderful woman and a wonderful actress and she will be missed by so many people. My heart is truly saddened by news of her death.
Kenneth, you should seriously rent Designing Women on Netflix or something. A hilarious show throughout its entire run.
Just saw this morning that she died of Cancer.
And Designing women was a very funny show, especially in the early seasons. Check it out!
Kenneth's stunning lack of sensitivity makes me think he's never lost anyone close to him -- the pain of a loss that is so profoundly overwhelming - and shocking. Yes, Carter was sick, but I am sure her husband expected that she would survive. And when she didn't... Clearly, Mr. Holbrooke would like to be left alone to deal with his feelings ... and not talk about them "bravely" to the press or anyone else. A friend who worked with them both once told me how much Holbrooke adored her and she was the love of his life. It IS a private matter; HIS matter. How can that possibly be "mysterious"?
It is sheer arrogance for any reader to believe that because Carter was a public figure he (the reader) has a "right" to know all the information about her illness and passing.
Maybe Kenneth has not lost someone close to him. I hope that's the case to account for his awful reporting and lack of judgment in this instance.
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