Ronnie Claire Edwards of 'The Waltons' dies
USA TODAY
June 15, 2016
Ronnie Claire Edwards
Ronnie Claire Edwards, the veteran actress on the beloved TV series, The Waltons, has died, according to her Facebook page. She was 83.
"Ronnie Claire passed peacefully in her sleep this evening," her page said late Tuesday. "Our beautiful and extraordinary friend has peacefully made her final curtain call. Thank you all for your wonderful caring and support."
Edwards, who had been living in Texas, had a long TV and film career but was best known for playing Corabeth Walton Godsey, the domineering wife of storekeeper Ike Godsey, in the CBS series about a Virginia mountain family living through the 1930s financial depression and World War II.
The series ran for nine years in the 1970s; Edwards began appearing in it in 1975.
Edwards, born and raised in Oklahoma City, got her start in show biz when she left home at 15 to travel with a carnival around Oklahoma, according to her page on the Oklahoma Historical Society website.
She appeared in such movies as The Dead Pool (1988), Nobody’s Fool (1986), and 8 Seconds (1994), and her last role in a TV series was Harlene in 2007's 12 Miles of Bad Road, according to her IMDb page.
She was the author of several books, including memoirs published in 2012, Mr. Godsey asked me to marry him and I said: "yes!": (exit sobbing), and in 2000, The Knife Thrower's Assistant :Memoirs of a Human Target.
She also co-wrote a musical play, Idols of the King, as a tribute to Elvis Presley's career, legacy and most passionate fans.
Her last Facebook post, in May, featured a picture of herself with her friend, tenor Paul Grant.
EDWARDS, Ronnie Claire
Born: 2/8/1933, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.A.
Died: 6/14/2016, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A.
Ronnie Claire Edwards’ westerns – actor:
This Is the West That Was (TV) – 1974
8 Seconds – 1994 (Carolyn Kyle)