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NEW YORK (AP) – Tanya Roberts, who captivated James Bond in “A View to a Kill” and appeared on the sitcom “That ’70s Show”, died several hours after being declared by mistake by her publicist and partner. She was 65 years old.
Lance O’Brien, his companion for nearly two decades, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Cedars-Sinai Medical Center contacted him on Monday at 9:30 pm PST to inform him that Roberts had died.
“She was my soul mate, she was my best friend. We haven’t been apart for two days, ”said a tearful O’Brien.
Roberts’ death was related to a urinary tract infection, said publicist Mike Pingel. He had been in the hospital on Tuesday morning with O’Brien to pick up Roberts’ personal belongings.
Roberts passed out at home on December 24 after walking his dogs and was admitted to Cedars-Sinai. She was pronounced dead on Sunday, but Pingel said it was based on an error by O’Brien, who believed that Roberts had slipped away during what was expected to be a final visit.
Numerous media outlets, including The Associated Press, reported Roberts’ death on Monday, based on information Pingel received from O’Brien.
O’Brien, who was unable to see Roberts in the hospital due to COVID-19 restrictions, was allowed to visit her on Sunday as her condition worsened. The actor did not have the virus, he said.
When O’Brien received the call on Sunday that she was failing, he said he was “emotionally shocked because I expected her to come home”.
Roberts played geologist Stacey Sutton alongside Roger Moore in 1985’s “A View to a Kill”, in which she pointed a gun at Bond after inducing him to think she was taking a shower. The character later joined him to stop the bandits on an aircraft over San Francisco.
Roberts also appeared in fantasy adventure films like “The Beastmaster” and “Hearts and Armor”. She replaced Shelley Hack in “Charlie’s Angels”, joining Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd as the third Angel Julie. She also played the heroine of comics Sheena – a female version of Tarzan’s story – in a 1984 film.
A new generation of fans saw her on “That ’70s Show” in 1998 and 2004, playing Midge, the mother of Laura Prepon’s character, Donna.
Roberts, a great animal rights activist, leaves O’Brien.