'One Day at a Time' Star Bonnie Franklin Dies

Actress passes away from pancreatic cancer at 69

By Tim Baysinger -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/1/2013 3:44:33 PM

Bonnie Franklin, star of One Day at a Time, passed away on Friday at her home in Los Angeles, due to complications of pancreatic cancer. She was 69.

While Franklin performed on stage and in movies, she is best known for her role of Ann Romano on Norman Lear's One Day at a Time, which ran from 1975-1984 on CBS.

Franklin's Romano is considered a breakthrough for female characters, being a divorced mother raising two teenage daughters in an urban apartment while trying to relaunch her career and love life. She was one of the first women to be portrayed on TV dealing with issues like sexual harassment, rape and menopause.

Franklin was nominated once for an Emmy and twice for a Golden Globe award.