Shelley Morrison, who is best known for essaying the role of a maid Rosario Salazar in hit NBC sitcom 'Will & Grace', passed away on Sunday. The actress died of a heart attack following a brief illness. She breathed her last at a hospital in Los Angeles. The actress is survived by her husband Walter Dominguez and her many family members.
"[Shelley] passed in Los Angeles this morning at 5:42 am at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from heart failure, after a brief illness. Shelley had recently celebrated her 83rd birthday," Dominguez shared in a statement.
Co-stars remember the veteran actress
As the sad news of her demise spread her co-stars from the TV comedy took to social media to express their grief. Debra Messing who essays the role of Grace Adler posted a heartfelt tribute on Instagram. "Oh, Shelley... what a loss," she began the post.
"Our dear Rosario has passed on. Shelley had a career that spanned decades, but she will always be our dear Rosie," she continued. "She was a kind soul with a huge heart and always had a smile on her face. All my love to Walter and the entire family."
Praising Morrison for her accomplishments, Megan Mullally, who played the late actress's boss Karen Walker in the series, thanked her for the "friendship & partnership". "just got a bulletin on my phone that shelley morrison has passed. my heart is heavy. putting shelley, her beloved husband walter & their children in the light. thank you for your friendship & partnership, shell. you accomplished wonderful things in this world. you will be missed," she wrote on social media.
Eric McCormack, who played Will in the show, called Morrison a "beautiful soul" and "wonderful actor". "Shelley was a beautiful soul & a wonderful actor. Her work as Rosario, season after season, was as nuanced and real as it was hysterical. She will be missed by everyone at #WillandGrace, she's a huge part of it. Sending so much love to Walter and Shelley's whole family. #Rosario," McCormack captioned the post alongside a picture of himself with Morrison.
Revealing that Morrison was "absolutely hilarious" and had the "biggest heart", Sean Hayes, who played Jack McFarland, posted a warm tribute on Instagram. "Such sad news. Our beloved Shelley Morrison passed away today. She was absolutely hilarious and had the biggest heart. She was a part of our Will and Grace family and will be greatly missed. My heart goes out to her entire family."
Besides playing Rosario Salazar in the sitcom from 1999 to 2006, Morrison also played Sister Sixto in "The Flying Nun with Sally Field." The late actress also shared the screen space with Hollywood stars in movies like "How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your life", "Funny Girl", "Mackenna's Gold", "Troop Beverly Hills" and Fools Rush In".
