Brett Somers

 Brett Somers (July 11, 1924 – September 15, 2007)

She was best known as a panelist on the 1970's game show Match Game and for her recurring role as Blanche Madison opposite her real-life husband, Jack Klugman, on The Odd Couple. Somers began her career in theater and made many of her initial television appearances in dramatic programs such as The Philco Television Playhouse, Kraft Television Theatre, Playhouse 90, and Robert Montgomery Presents. Her Broadway debut, in the play Maybe Tuesday, was a flop; the show closed after five performances. She also appeared onstage in productions of Happy Ending, The Seven Year Itch, and The Country Girl, the last opposite her husband, Jack Klugman. She also amassed a number of film credits, including A Rage to Live, Getting There, Bone, Bus Riley's Back in Town, and The Great American Beauty Pageant. During a 2002 interview, Somers denied rumors that she had suffered from cancer. She would reiterate that point in future interviews. Somers had a naturally husky voice that might have caused the misconception that she suffered from a throat ailment. Somers eventually was diagnosed with cancer in 2004, and, following a period of remission, she died on September 15, 2007, at her home in Westport, Connecticut at age 83. She is interred at Memorial Garden of The Unitarian Church in Westport, CT.