Dixie Carter, a star of television and stage, has died. The actress passed away in the early morning hours of April 10 from an complications arising from cancer. The actress' publicist, Steve Rohr, revealed that Carter had been diagnosed with endometrial cancer, which forms in the the tissue lining the uterus. Carter was 70.
"This has been a terrible blow to our family," Carter's husband of 26 years, actor Hal Holbrook, said in a written statement. "We would appreciate everyone understanding that this is a private family tragedy."
Born May 25, 1939 in McLemoresville, Tennessee, Carter started her career in television the way many actors do -- on the soaps. Carter appeared in a bit role on The Doctors in the 1970s before briefly appearing as a temporary recast of One Life to Live's Dorian Lord. In 1974, Carter landed a regular role as Brandy Henderson on The Edge of Night.
It wasn't until the mid-1980s that Carter became a household name. In 1984, Carter joined the cast of Diff'rent Strokes. A couple of years later, she took on the role that would become her best-known: Julia Sugarbaker on CBS's primetime series, Designing Women. Carter appeared on Designing Women for seven years.
In 2007, Carter earned her first and only Emmy nomination for a seven-episode guest stint on Desperate Housewives.
In addition to Holbrook, Carter is survived by daughters Mary Dixie and Ginna.
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