Angela Lansbury's 3 Grown-up Kids Mourn Mom Who Paused Career & Left Hollywood to Save Them from Addiction

• Angela Lansbury's children sadly announced the passing of their beloved mother.

• Lansbury sacrificed her career for almost a decade to help her children overcome addiction.

• The actress loved being a grandmother and said her family was her greatest joy

Angela Lansbury, a renowned actress with a successful acting career, that spanned over eight decades, passed yesterday, October 11, 2022, at 96 years old.

According to People, her family released a statement that the actress died in her sleep in Los Angeles at 01:00 a.m, just five days before her 97th birthday.

Lansbury leaves behind her three children, Anthony, Deirdre, and David, and three grandchildren, Peter, Katherine, and Ian.

The actress's family is still mourning but has stated why they will hold a private ceremony for Lansbury when the date has been determined.

The actress was famously known for her character as Jessica Fletcher in the series "Murder She Wrote," but her portfolio extends further.

She has starred in the iconic film "Nanny McPhee," and she was the voice behind Mrs. Potts from the Disney film "Beauty and the Beast."

Her debut film "Gaslight" gained international recognition and earned an academy award nomination for best supporting actress.

Though the London-born actress moved to America in pursuit of growing her acting career, Lansbury made sure to put her children first and be there for them whenever they needed her.

Angela Lansbury and Peter Shaw's Love Story

Being introduced to the entertainment industry at a young age brought a lot of confusion to Lansbury.

As reported by People, the actress expressed that when she was young and starting as an actress, she was surrounded by glamorous women that constantly got attention.

However, that attention was something she did not get a taste of, so the actress said, "what did I do? I got married at 19."

Lansbury's first husband was Richard Cromwell, a well-known actor who was 15 years her senior. The couple married in 1945; however, nine months into their marriage, they separated after Lansbury found out her husband was gay.

Despite Cromwell's sexuality, Lansbury told Closer Weekly that she found him attractive and loved how he was fascinated by her; however, most of it came from what he had seen on screen.

Lansbury described her first experience with love as a "tragedy"; nonetheless, the former couple remained friends until Cromwell died from cancer. But Lansbury found love shortly after her divorce.

In 1946 Lansbury met Peter Shaw, a British actor who became a well-known Hollywood agent. The couple married three years after they met.

Shaw and Lansbury had two children. They welcomed their son, Anthony, in 1952 and a daughter, Deidre, born in 1953.

According to the Daily Mail, Lansbury gave an account of how solid she and Shaw were. The actress was honest about her importance and said her husband was always there to help her.

Whether she had to shoot a film in another country for weeks, she said Shaw would take care of children at their Malibu house.

Additionally, the actress and her agent husband were both in the same industry, which meant they understood what it took to make it in Hollywood.

As stated by Closer Weekly, Cromwell and Lansbury became a force in Hollywood and worked together to make their visions come to life.

Cromwell used his experience working with big stars like Elvis Presley to open his own production company Corymore Productions.

The company produced the series "Murder, She Wrote," in which Lansbury acted for twelve years and earned her four Emmy Awards.

After 54 years of a happy, successful marriage, Lansbury lost her husband. Cromwell died in 2003 at 83.

When her husband died, Lansbury became a single mother and faced the painful situation of seeing her two teenage children struggle with addiction.

The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported that Lansbury put her acting career on the back burner for almost a decade to focus on helping her children overcome their heroin addiction.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, the actress said she was drawn to her mother's birth country, Ireland. So, she and her children moved to a house in County Cork to help them escape the drugs they were exposed to in Hollywood.

Lansbury told Daily Mail that the move saved her kids' lives. She said her son Anthony changed his habits quickly, and even though it took her daughter a bit longer, she still came out victorious.

Angela Lansbury's Life after the Death of Her Husband

After Lansbury and her family lived in Ireland for a while, the children grew up to become successful in their individual endeavors.

The actress's eldest son Anthony moved on to follow in his parent's footsteps. He acted in films such as "A Bridge Too Far" and "The Spy Who Loved Me" in 1977. He also produced 68 episodes of "Murder she Wrote," stated Closer Weekly.

Anthony reportedly retired from the show business industry. He married Lee Speer Webster, with whom he has three children: Peter John Shaw, Katherine Beeson Shaw, and Ian Lansbury Shaw.

Lansbury's daughter, Deidre, strayed away from the entertainment industry and chose to be a restauranteur, reported Closer Weekly.

Deidre and her husband, chef Enzo Battara opened a restaurant in Los Angeles called Enzo and Angela. The couple reportedly met in Italy and have been mastering the kitchen together for over two decades.

Shaw had a child from his previous marriage, David Shaw, who only had good things to say about his stepmother.

David expressed how Lansbury took him in as one of her own and told Closer Weekly she was a "great lady." David followed in his father's footsteps and became the president of his company, Corymore Productions.

In the last stages of her life, Lansbury told Women and Home that there was nothing she enjoyed more than being a grandmother. She expressed that she spoils them but above all else, she said her family was her biggest joy.

Lansbury left a lasting impression with her talent and the newness she brought to the acting world. We wish her family strength as they mourn this significant loss.