Bonnie Franklin dead, cause was pancreatic cancer. The One Day At A Time star was 69 when she passed earlier today in her California home. Last September, she revealed that she’d been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Franklin had a long career on stage and screen, but was best known for her long run as single mom Ann Romano on One Day At A Time, with Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli portraying her daughters. Her performance earned Franklin Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.
Franklin also acted on the stage and in movies and for years sang and danced in a nightclub act. But she was most widely known in the role of Ann Romano, one of the first independent women to be portrayed on TV wrestling with issues like sexual harassment, rape and menopause. Ms. Franklin — green-eyed, red-haired, button-nosed and 5-foot-3 — brought a buoyant comic touch to the part.