Rush’s career spanned almost six decades.

By George White

Published: Monday, 01 April 2024 at 09:31 AM


Barbara Rush, star of long-running TV series All My Children and Peyton Place, has died aged 97.

The screen veteran’s death was confirmed to Fox News by her daughter on Sunday (31st March).

Born in 1927 in Denver, Colorado, Rush had a prolific career on the small screen across several decades, appearing in episodes of popular shows including Magnum, PI, Fantasy Island, Ellery Queen and Murder, She Wrote.

She also had a recurring role in short-lived American soap opera Flamingo Road, starring as Eudora Weldon alongside familiar faces such as Emmy nominee Morgan Fairchild and Oscar nominee Kevin McCarthy.

Rock Hudson, Jane Wyman and Barbara Rush in Magnificent Obsession talking together on a porch in black and white
Rock Hudson, Jane Wyman and Barbara Rush in Magnificent Obsession. Bettmann/Getty Images

Before moving to the small screen, Rush made waves in cinema, picking up the Most Promising Newcomer – Female award at the 1954 Golden Globes for her turn in Jack Arnold’s horror sci-fi It Came from Outer Space.

The character actor followed this up by starring alongside Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman in 1954’s Magnificent Obsession and going head-to-head with James Mason in Bigger Than Life two years later.

Rush’s daughter Claudia Cowan told Fox News Digital: “My wonderful mother passed away peacefully at 5:28 this evening. I was with her this morning and know she was waiting for me to return home safely to transition.

“It’s fitting she chose to leave on Easter as it was one of her favourite holidays and now, of course, Easter will have a deeper significance for me and my family.”

Kevin McCarthy as Claude Weldon, Barbara Rush as Eudora Weldon standing together in formal attire in black and white
Kevin McCarthy as Claude Weldon, Barbara Rush as Eudora Weldon in Flamingo Road.
NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, film expert Karen Burroughs Hannsberry led the tributes, saying: “So sad to learn that Barbara Rush has died at the age of 97. She was something special.”

Carolyn Hennesy, Rush’s niece and a fellow actress, simply wrote: “RIP, Auntie B.”