It’s a Living actress Barrie Youngfellow dies aged 75 with family paying tribute to ‘loyal’ star
Posted by  badge Boss on Apr 03, 2022 - 06:13AM
The actress is remembered as ‘very funny’ by fans (Picture: American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.)

Actress Barrie Youngfellow has died at the age of 75.

Her family confirmed the sad news in an obituary, which celebrated her life.

Youngfellow was best known for her roles in It’s a Living, Blossom and Nightmare in Blood, and died earlier this week.

Her cause of death her not been revealed, with her loved ones instead remembering her as ‘loyal’ and ‘the best of friends,’ saying she could ‘fly with the best of them.’

‘Loved a good story and a nice bottle. Had a great laugh that confirmed her sense of life. Even during her decline, she could shoot off a good one-liner,’ they said.

‘She was so nourished by the care and kindness and love that she received from the staff at Ten Broeck Rehab. Thank you, Catskill,’ they added.

Youngfellow was catapulted to stardom in It’s a Living (Picture: American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.)

The actress was famous for her performance in It’s a Living, where she played sarcastic waitress Jan Hoffmeyer Gray.

The sitcom kickstarted her career back in 1973 and she starred in all 120 episodes of the much-loved show, which was set inside a high-rise hotel restaurant in LA.

She and Gail Edwards, Paul Kreppel and Marian Mercer were the only actors from It’s a Living to last all the way through the show’s network and syndication runs, which aired from 1985 to 1989.

It’s a Living aired for two years on ABC, and Youngfellow remained active in the entertainment industry until 1998.

She starred in all 120 episodes of the classic sitcom (Picture: American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.)
Youngfellow’s sassy waitress was a favourite character (Picture: American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.)

Youngfellow’s last TV appearance was in an episode of Law & Order.

Tributes have poured in across social media since news of Youngfellow’s death broke, with fans remembering the Cleveland native as ‘very funny’ and a ‘sassy redhead.’

She leaves behind two sisters, Heide and Kim Rivchun, and her second husband, stage and screen actor Sam Freed, to whom she was married to for 39 years.

Her obituary joked that Youngfellow’s husband ‘was almost as important to her as her dogs and cats.’

Prior to marrying Freed, she was married to Michael Mund Youngfellow from 1968 to 1975.