Shelley Morrison From "Will & Grace" Has Died At 83

Dec 02, 2019 by apost team

Shelley Morrison, who played Rosario Salazar on “Will & Grace,” passed away while at a Los Angeles hospital on Sunday at the age of 83.

Morrison’s publicist confirmed to the AP that she passed away from heart failure at Cedars-Sinai in L.A. following a brief illness. 

She was born in the Bronx to parents from Spain and grew up with Spanish as her first language. Her career spanned six decades, and she appeared in dozens of roles according to IMDb.com. She appeared as a regular on “The Flying Nun” in the 1960s along with Sally Field along with guest spots on several shows such as "Courthouse," "Laredo," and "L.A. Law."

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Her most beloved role was on “Will & Grace” where she played opposite Megan Mulally’s Karen Walker as her housekeeper and confidant Rosario Salazar. Her deadpan delivery and no-nonsense approach to Karen’s antics made her a perfect foil. The enormously rich Karen was friends with the two main characters of the show, interior designer Grace and lawyer Will, who is gay. Her co-stars sent out touching messages on social media at the news.

In a statement from her husband Walter Dominguez, it is noted that the show paved the way for many gay portrayals on-screen. He says as quoted in AP news:

“Shelley’s greatest pride as an actress was in playing the indomitable Rosario, in a comedy series that furthered the cause of social equity and fairness for LGBTQ people. ... She believed that the best way to change hearts and minds was through comedy,”

She is survived by her husband and six children.

Rest in peace to Shelley Morrison. What are your favorite “Will & Grace” episodes? Be sure to talk about them with others to keep Shelley's memory alive.