R.I.P. Andrea Fay Friedman: ‘Life Goes On’ Actress Dead At 53

Actress Andrea Fay Friedman has died. Friedman died on Sunday (Dec. 3) at her home in Santa Monica, California. She was 53.

Friedman died from complications of Alzheimer’s Disease, her father, Hal, revealed to the New York Times.

Friedman’s television career began in 1992 when she appeared on Life Goes On, the ABC drama series that co-starred Patti Lupone, Chris Burke, and Kellie Martin. Friedman, who had Down syndrome, played Amanda Swanson, the girlfriend of Burke’s character, Corky Thatcher, who also had Down syndrome.

Their pairing marked a milestone for network television in its depiction of the couple; eventually their characters got married in the show’s final season.

Friedman would go on to make appearances in shows like Baywatch, Chicago Hope, and 7th Heaven, but it was a 2010 episode of Family Guy that put her in the spotlight when her character, Ellen, dated Chris Griffin, voiced by Seth Green. In the episode, Ellen tells Chris that her mother is “the former governor of Alaska,” a reference to Sarah Palin, whose son Trig has Down syndrome.

Palin lambasted the show, saying it was the work of “cruel, cold-hearted people,” to which Friedman responded, “I was making fun of Sarah Palin, but not her son,” adding, “It’s not really an insult. I was doing my role, I’m an actor. I’m entitled to say something.”

Friedman’s Life Goes On co-star Kellie Martin remembered her today on Instagram, lauding her work as one-half of a ground-breaking couple on television, and mourning her loss: “I’m so grateful to have known her and worked with her. I’m sending my love to her family and friends,” she shared.

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