TORONTO - Actress Jackie Burroughs, best known for her role as schoolteacher Hetty King on popular television series "Road to Avonlea", has died. She was 71.
The British-born Canadian died in her Toronto home Wednesday afternoon while surrounded by family and friends. She had been suffering from gastric cancer.
"To her fans who are missing her, I would say we are all missing her," said daughter Zoe Yanovsky.
"She was an amazing actress and she developed her craft and took it very seriously and was also a very real private person with a wonderful life and a family."
Yanovsky, who is an only child, said her mother was very close to her family, which included a brother and two grandsons.
"She had an incredible life that was so artistic, and generous and kind and interesting," said the 42-year-old. "She was full of life."
Goddaughter Maggie Gilmour said Burroughs passed peacefully and wasn't in any pain in her last moments.
"She was endlessly, boundlessly, generous," said 32-year-old Gilmour. "And extremely, achingly, painfully, funny."
Gilmour said Burroughs was actually nothing like the strict school maa'rm she portrayed in "Road to Avonlea."
"A week ago, I visited her and she was ill, not feeling well, but she still told me stories and made me laugh," said Gilmour. "She always made me feel adored."
Burroughs who appeared on the stage and the screen, made more than 75 feature films and received multiple Genies, Geminis and a Governor General's award for her work.
Shirley Douglas, who has known Burroughs for the past 32 years, said the veteran actress left an impression on the people she worked with.
"She was a tremendous volcano to work with," Douglas said with a chuckle. "She could drive people crazy, but the result was so extraordinary."
Douglas also remembers Burroughs as one who gave back to not just the artistic community, but anyone who she felt could use a helping hand. The 76-year-old remembers her friend often giving quiet words of encouragement to young performers one day and stopping to help a person on the street the next.
"She had tremendous humanity," said Douglas. "The longer you knew her the more you realized it."
Douglas said much of Burroughs' hands-on compassion stemmed from her own troubles with alcoholism 25 years ago.
"She recognized people who were going through trouble," she said. "She gave support, and that's not easy to find."
Born in Lancashire, England, Burroughs moved to Canada when she was 13 and went on to attend the University of Toronto. Her acting career began in summer theatre after she graduated and later included runs at the Stratford Festival.
On the screen, she won her first Genie for "The Grey Fox" and also went on to play Amelia Evans in the 1985 television movie "Anne of Green Gables."
That role landed her a part on "Road to Avonlea", where she became a familiar face in the eccentric role of Hetty King, taking home three Gemini's for her performances.
Her marriage to Zal Yanovsky, founding member of musical group "The Loving Spoonful", ended soon after their daughter was born. Until recently Burroughs divided her time between a home in Mexico and an apartment in Toronto.
A funeral for Burroughs will be held in the St. James Cathedral in Toronto next week.
"She was a unique person and a unique artist," said Douglas. "I, like so many other people, will be grateful to have known her, and will miss her terribly."
