Bond Girl Tanya Roberts Dead at 65

The actress has died following premature reports of her death Monday

Tanya Roberts
Tanya Roberts' death has been confirmed following an earlier miscommunication leading to premature reports of the actress's passing.
CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images

Actress Tanya Roberts, known for her roles in Charlie’s Angels, the James Bond film A View to a Kill and the TV series That ’70s Show, has died at age 65, the New York Times reported. Prior to her death, an apparent miscommunication between Roberts’s partner and publicist led to media reports falsely claiming the actress had passed on Monday. After a slew of premature obituaries, the star died later Monday night, which her partner, Lance O’Brien, confirmed Tuesday.

According to publicist Mike Pingel, Roberts was put on a ventilator after collapsing near her Hollywood Hills home on December 24. Pingel did not give a cause of death, but confirmed it was unrelated to COVID-19. The Times previously reported Robert’s had developed sepsis after an infection, leaving her prognosis “bleak.”

Roberts first major role came in 1980, when the actress joined the cast of Charlie’s Angels for the show’s fifth and final season. Despite her short-lived tenure as an Angel, Robert’s went on to have an active decade in Hollywood, starring opposite Roger Moore as James Bond in 1985’s A View to a Kill. The film marked Moore’s last appearance as 007, and he would later criticize the 28-year age gap between himself and his co-star, according to the Times.

Roberts made a return to the small screen in 1998, playing Midge in the sitcom That ’70s Show. The recurring role cast Roberts as the attractive if comically dimwitted mother of lead cast member Donna, played by Laura Prepon.

Roberts was born Victoria Leigh Blum in the Bronx in 1955, beginning her career at 15 after reportedly running away from home to become a model.

The InsideHook Newsletter.

News, advice and insights for the most interesting person in the room.