Celebrated for her parts in Charlie’s Angels and That ’70s Show, Tanya Roberts enthralled audiences for decades with her beauty, wit, and ability. Her lover, Lance O’Brien, made the mistake of prematurely publicizing her death, which added an unanticipated element of grief to the loss of a lively star.
Her sudden passing was characterized by bewilderment. There is plenty to admire in Roberts’ career as an actor and a person, despite the turbulence surrounding her last hours.
Roberts was born Victoria Leigh Blum in the Bronx, New York, in 1949. Her early years were everything but glitzy. Despite living in a poor home with her mother and sisters, she never gave up on her aspirations to become famous and successful in Hollywood.
She fled her family at the age of 15 to follow her dreams of becoming an actress, earning a living by teaching dance. She later met Barry Roberts, a truck driver who would become her life partner, following an early marriage that Colin’s mother had dissolved because of their young age.
He accepted Roberts’ proposal, and the two were married in 1973. After relocating to the Hollywood Hills, they had a quiet, passionate life away from the limelight.
After taking Shelley Hack’s place as Julie Roberts in Charlie’s Angels in 1980, Roberts’ acting career took off. Charlie’s Angels was terminated in 1981 in spite of her attempts to bring the faltering series back to life. Nevertheless, Roberts’ indisputable talent earned her iconic parts in movies like Sheena:
Queen of the Jungle (1984), The Beastmaster (1982), and A View to a Kill (1985), in which she costarred with Roger Moore in a James Bond movie. Despite receiving criticism for her performance, Roberts left a lasting impression.
From 1998 to 2004, she won over a new generation of fans with her portrayal as Midge Pinciotti on That ’70s Show. She showed her unwavering devotion to her husband, Barry, by leaving the program when he got gravely ill. He passed away in 2006 following a protracted fight with encephalitis.
Following Barry’s passing, Roberts spent eighteen years with Lance O’Brien as a companion. Despite appearing fit and energetic, Roberts’ health took a drastic turn in December 2020 when she passed out from sepsis brought on by a urinary tract infection. Roberts died on January 4, 2021, following a brief medical stay.
O’Brien’s premature pronouncement of Roberts’ death during a live interview, only to find out moments later that she was still alive, added to the anguish surrounding her demise. Many news sites were frantically trying to rectify the premature stories after this confusion continued till her death was verified.
An intimate depiction of Roberts’s last thoughts can be seen in her handwritten will. O’Brien received her whole estate, which was worth over $3 million. “I know you don’t love me but you have been a true friend & for that I’m [grateful],”
she said in her email, acknowledging the complexity of their relationship. She also left her estate, pets, and pension to O’Brien, making it plain that neither her sister nor her nephew would receive any inheritance.
Roberts’ life, which was filled with both personal and professional highs, showed her resilience, self-reliance, and unwavering devotion to her loved ones. Even in the middle of the chaos and grief in her last days, Roberts’ unwavering spirit continues to be her greatest legacy.
