Actress Betsy Palmer, who played the chilling camp cook Mrs. Voorhees in the original Friday the 13th film has passed away. Her long time manager Brad Lemack reported she died Friday of natural causes at a hospice care center in Connecticut. She was 88.
Palmer made numerous appearances in film, television and on Broadway. She claims to have taken the part of the murderous mother of the legendary Jason Voorhees in 1980s Friday the 13th in order to purchase a new car.
Palmer began her acting career in the 1950s in such classic Golden Age television dramas as Kraft Theatre, Playhouse 90 and Studio One. Her other TV credits include: Knot’s Landing, The Love Boat, Newhart, Just Shoot Me and Murder, She Wrote.
Her film credits included Mr. Roberts, The Long Gray Line, Queen Bee and The Tin Star. She appeared in Broadway plays such as Same Time, Next Year and Cactus Flower.
Palmer is survived by her daughter, Melissa Merendino.
Source: Huffington Post