'Will & Grace' actress Shelley Morrison (83) dies

Cape Town - Will & Grace actress Shelley Morrison has died. She was 83 years old.

Her publicist Lori DeWaal told CNN that she died on Sunday from heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Shelley was best known for her role as Karen Walker's (Megan Mullally) maid, Rosario in the award-winning NBC sitcom.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Shelley was only signed on for one episode, the first-season finale she returned for 67 more episodes and stayed on until the show ended in May 2006.

Shelley did not reprise her role in the Will & Grace revival as she retired from acting, reports Variety.

In a statement, her publicist said: "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. 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."

The stars of the show Debra Messing, Megan Mullally, Sean Hayes and Eric McCormack took to social media to express their grief after the news broke.

SEE THE POSTS HERE:

View this post on 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. All my love to Walter and the entire family. #shelleymorrison ??

A post shared by Debra Messing (@therealdebramessing) on Dec 1, 2019 at 7:32pm PST

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Shelley Morrison has passed. she was such an integral and important part of my experience at Will & Grace, and became a friend in the intervening years. she was loving, strong, supportive, and kind. she and her husband Walter Dominguez had a wonderful, loving, and inspiring 46-year marriage. he was always by her side. please put him and their children and grandchildren in your thoughts. i will miss you, Shelley. thank you for the years of partnership and for your friendship and support. te amo, mami.

A post shared by Megan Mullally (@meganomullally) on Dec 1, 2019 at 8:46pm PST

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Shelley was a beautiful soul and wonderful actor. Her work as Rosario, season after season, was as nuanced and real as it was hysterical. She will be missed by everyone at #WillandGrace. She’s a huge part of it. Sending so much love to Walter and Shelley’s whole family. ♥?

A post shared by Eric McCormack (@eric_mccormack) on Dec 1, 2019 at 7:52pm PST

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Such sad news. Our beloved Shelley Morrison passed away today. She was absolutely hilarious and had the biggest heart. She was a part of our Will and Grace family and will be greatly missed. My heart goes out to her entire family. ??

A post shared by Sean Hayes (@seanhayes) on Dec 1, 2019 at 6:37pm PST

Compiled by Leandra Engelbrecht. (Sources: CNN, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter)