LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 22: Lynne Marie Stewart attends as The Groundlings Honor the Late … [+]
Lynne Marie Stewart, who is known as Miss Yvonne on Pee-wee’s Playhouse and Bonnie Kelly on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, died Friday. She was 78.
The cause of death has not been disclosed.
“My heart is breaking upon hearing the news of my dear friend Lynne Stewart’s passing,” wrote Cassandra “Elvira” Peterson on Instagram. “One of the kindest, sweetest, funniest women who ever lived. The iconic Miss Yvonne of Pee-wee’s Playhouse. She’ll always be ‘the most beautiful woman in Puppetland.’”
Born December 14, 1946 in Los Angeles, Lynne Marie Stewart accumulated just under 150 acting credits, according to her IMDb page. One of her first roles was in the in the 1973 film American Graffiti as Bobbie, who drove the car of girls who pick up Curt (Richard Dreyfuss) in one scene. She also made multiple appearances in the comedies M*A*S*H and Laverne & Shirley, with guest spots in dozens of other television series.
In honor of Lynne Marie Stewart, here are nine factoids about her career on screen:
1) Stewart was a member of the improvisational and sketch comedy group The Groundlings in the 1970s, where she met Paul Reubens (aka Pee-wee Herman) and Phil Hartman.
American actress Lynne Marie Stewart in CBS children’s television series ‘Pee-wee’s Playhouse’, … [+]
2) Stewart’s early guest roles on television included dramas The F.B.I., Hawaii Five-O and Quincy, M.E., and comedies Karen and Alice.
3) Her first regularly scheduled TV series role was as Joy Bellini in the 0ne-hour 1970s dramedy Husbands, Wives & Lovers.
4) Dozens of other TV guest spots followed including The Jeffersons, Dynasty, Remington Steele, Night Court, The Golden Girls, Empty Nest, Dream On, Caroline in the City, Austin & Ally and 2 Broke Girls.
5) Stewart was also active as an animated voice performer in TV series like The Mork & Mindy, Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo and Batman: The Animated Series.
6) In addition to Miss Yvonne, Stewart played other roles across the Pee-wee franchise including The Pee-wee Herman Show (1981), Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985), Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1986-’90) Big Top Pee-wee (1988), Christmas at Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1988), and Pee-wee’s Big Holiday (2016).
Lynne Marie Stewart, wearing a blue dress, with American actor Jimmy Smits, who wears a repair man’s … [+]
7) She appeared in the 2011 film Bridesmaids as Lillian’s (Maya Rudolph) mother.
WESTWOOD, CA – APRIL 28: Kristen Wiig (L) and Maya Rudolph arrive at the Los Angeles premiere of … [+]
8) From 2005 through to 2023, Stewart appeared in 18 episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
9) Stewart had finished working on the upcoming comedy movie The Dink in December, when she discovered there was a tumor near her liver and gallbladder.
Charlie Day from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia shared a tribute on Instagram to his TV mother: “The brilliant and talented Lynne Marie Stewart. Rest in peace. Thank you for all the years of laughter.”
Danny DeVito, who also stars in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, wrote on X: “Gonna miss Lynne. Lynne Marie Stewart…So wonderful a spirit to work with on Sunny! All love to her family.”
“So sad. Lynne was the best. I was such a fan of hers and it was such an honor to work with her in Bridesmaids. A truly wonderful hilarious person. You will be missed, Lynne,” wrote Bridemaids director Paul Feig on Instagram.
AUSTIN & ALLY – (Photo by Eric McCandless/Disney Channel via Getty Images) LAURA MARANO, LYNNE MARIE … [+]
