Nell Ruth Carter

 Nell Ruth Carter (September 13, 1948 – January 23, 2003)

She won a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway musical Ain't Misbehavin', as well as an Emmy Award for her reprisal of the role on television. Additional Broadway credits included Dude and Annie. In 1979, she had a part in the Miloš Forman-directed musical film adaptation of Hair. Her vocal talents are showcased throughout the motion picture soundtrack. From 1981 to 1987, Carter starred in the NBC sitcom Gimme a Break!. She received two Emmy and two Golden Globe nominations for her work on the series. In August 1987, after the cancellation of Gimme a Break!, Carter returned to the nightclub circuit with a five month national tour with comedian Joan Rivers. During the early 1990s, Carter appeared in low-budget films, TV specials, and on game shows such as Match Game '90 and To Tell the Truth. She co-starred in Hangin' with Mr. Cooper from 1993 to 1995. Carter married mathematician and lumber executive George Krynicki, and converted to Judaism in 1982, they divorced in 1992. The same year, Carter had surgery to repair two aneurysms. On January 23, 2003, Carter collapsed and died at her home in Beverly Hills. Her body was discovered by her son. Per a provision in Carter's will, no autopsy was performed. Using blood tests, X-rays and a physical examination, the Los Angeles County ruled that Carter's death was the result of "probable arteriosclerotic heart disease, with diabetes a contributing condition." She is interred at Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, CA.