Carole Cook, legend of theater and screen and close friend of Lucille Ball, dead at 98

Charles Trepany, USA TODAY
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Carole Cook, an actress who had a lengthy screen and stage career and a close friendship with late comedy icon Lucille Ball, has died. She was 98.

A representative for Cook shared in a statement to USA TODAY that the actress died of heart failure in Beverly Hills, California on Wednesday afternoon, three days before what would have been her 99th birthday.

Born Mildred Frances Cook in Abilene, Texas, Cook changed her first name at the advice of Ball, who helped launch her career in Hollywood.

Ball recommended she take the name Carole after film star Carole Lombard, telling Cook that, "like her, you have the same healthy disrespect for all things in general."

Music legend mourned: Jeff Beck, influential guitar god of The Yardbirds, dies at 78

Ball remained Cook's mentor and friend, and Cook went on to appear in “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy.” Ball served as the matron-of-honor at Cook's wedding to Tom Troupe, to whom she was married from 1964 until her death.

Cook had a lengthy stage career, appearing in the original production of the Broadway hit "Romantic Comedy" and in the national tour of "Steel Magnolias," for which she earned a Helen Hayes Award nomination. She also won a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for her performance in the tour of "Father's Day."

Carole Cook, an actress who had a lengthy screen and stage career and a close friendship with late comedy icon Lucille Ball, has died. She was 98.
Carole Cook, an actress who had a lengthy screen and stage career and a close friendship with late comedy icon Lucille Ball, has died. She was 98.

Her film credits include "American Gigolo," "Sixteen Candles" and the animated Disney film "Home on the Range," among others. She also guest starred on several TV shows, including "Grey's Anatomy."

In 2002, Cook and Troupe became the first husband-wife duo to receive a Theatre Ovation Award for career achievement. In lieu of flowers, Cook's family requests donations be made to The Entertainment Community Fund, which aims to provide a safety net for performing arts and entertainment professionals.

'Being the Ricardos' fact check: Was Lucille Ball a communist? And why couldn't she say 'pregnant' on TV?

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Carole Cook, 'Sixteen Candles' actress, dead at 98 of heart failure