April 11th, 2010
Dixie Carter died yesterday morning and the surprisingly young age of 70. The cause and location of her death was unknown. Her husband, Hal Holbrook called her passing “a terrible blow to our family. We would appreciate everyone understanding that this is a private family tragedy.”
Dixie was born in Tennessee, and made a career of playing strong, self-assured southern women. And with performances like this, is it any wonder her character in Designing Women became such an icon in in the gay community? She will be greatly missed.
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John
April 11th, 2010
It is hard to hold a candle to any Julia Sugarbaker tirade. One of the all time great heroic TV characters, and funny as hell to boot.
Evan Hurst
April 11th, 2010
*sigh*
She was our hometown girl, too.
Lindoro Almaviva
April 11th, 2010
Dixie carter holds a special place in my heart because she was an opera fan and a trained singer who spoke openly about her love for opera, her desire to sing and how one of my favorite singers (Maria Callas) was her inspiration. She got to play Callas in Masterclass and now she gets to meet her in the great stage on the sky.
RIP
Ryan
April 11th, 2010
Julia Sugarbaker may have been a gay icon, but Dixie Carter was a staunch Conservative. I don’t know how she really felt about gays and gay rights, and I’m afraid to look it up.
Richard W. Fitch
April 11th, 2010
Ryan – Dixie may have been a staunch Conservative, but she was also a staunch LGBT ally and supporter, appearing at several events and speaking out against the bigotry and prejudice.
Richard Rush
April 11th, 2010
Yes, at one time “conservative” wasn’t always synonymous with “bigot.”
Lindoro Almaviva
April 11th, 2010
Isn’t it a shame that the republican party and the “religious” right have given conservatism such a bad name that these days conservative=racist/bigot is a conclussion most gays make?
Ryan
April 11th, 2010
Okay, great. Thanks.
Paul in Canada
April 11th, 2010
Like Bea Arthur of Golden Girls, the passing of another great icon, person and supporter.
RIP
Regan DuCasse
April 11th, 2010
I just ordered Season 3 of “Designing Women.” I waited a long, LONG time to get the boxed DVD’s and hopefully soon, Season 4 will be out.
I haven’t watched all of the last set, but it’ll be with a touch of sadness because I love me some Julia Sugarbaker and NOBODY could have played her better than Dixie Carter.
A great Southern belle in her own right. She will be missed.
btw: many white Southern women who were church going and conservative by their own standards could be formidable allies in the art/literary worlds for minority rights like blacks, Jews and gay folks.
Think Harper Lee and Carson McCullers…to name a few.
Their work reflected the most realistic and empathetic Southern gothic and actors like Cornel Wilde, Gregory Peck and so on, were very public in their support for an unpopular cause in their time, and marched for Civil Rights too.
Marlene
April 13th, 2010
Reports are saying she died after a battle with cancer.
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