‘3rd Rock from the Sun’ Actress Elmarie Wendel Dies at 89

Actress Elmarie Wendel, best known for her role on 3rd Rock From the Sun, has died. She was 89.

Wendel’s death was announced by her daughter, Dave’s World star J.C. Wendel. J.C. posted a photo of her mother alongside her 3rd Rock From the Sun castmates celebrating their 100-episode milestone. In the caption, she announced Wendel’s passing and expressed her admiration.

“RIP Elmarie Wendel. You were a great mom and a badass dame,” J.C. wrote, adding hashtags for 3rd Rock from the Sun, George Lopez and her mother’s other big-time gigs.

No cause of death was revealed by J.C.

Wendel was best known for her 3rd Rock From the Sun role as Mrs. Mamie Dubcek, the Solomon family’s landlord who often helped them out with romantic issues. She is credited on 96 of the NBC sitcom’s 139 episodes.

The late actress is also known for her voice role as Aunt Grizelda in The Lorax and as factory worker Gina Sorenstam in George Lopez.

Throughout her career, which began in the 1960s, Wendel also appeared on numerous other shows, including: Seinfeld, NYPD Blue, Knight Rider, General Hospital, The Facts of Life, The Jeffersons, Murphy Brown, The Angry Beavers and more.

Her final role was a vocal appearance in the 2015 Bethesda Game Studios video game Fallout 4. She lent her talents to the characters Mandy Stiles, Cathy and Pulowski.

News of Wendel’s passing began to spread on Sunday morning, with actor Jim Beaver chiming in on the news. Beaver, who appeared as Happy Doug on 3rd Rock From the Sun, shared kind words about his former co-star.

“I’ve just heard from her daughter J.C. that my friend and colleague from 3rd Rock From the Sun, Elmarie Wendel, has died,” Beaver wrote. “She was raucous, funny, endearing and terribly, terribly sweet. Goodnight, Mrs. Dubcek, wherever you are.”

The core members of the 3rd Rock From the Sun cast, including John Lithgow and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, have yet to comment on Wendell’s passing.