She charmed audiences as Officer Laverne Hooks in one of the most prolific movie comedy series of the '80s. Now, sad news on actor Marion Ramsey: The 73-year-old died Thursday at her Los Angeles home. Ramsey's management team confirmed her death to Deadline, though it's not yet clear what the cause was; her team would only say she'd recently fallen ill, per the BBC. The Philly thespian started out on the stage, including in the Broadway original of Hello, Dolly! and opposite Bette Davis in Miss Moffat, which was supposed to be a Davis triumph but ended up closing within two weeks. Ramsey then saw success in 1978's Eubie!, but by then she'd started doing film and TV work, starting with a guest stint on The Jeffersons, as well as a regular spot on Bill Cosby's sketch comedy show Cos.
It was her turn as the squeaky-voiced Hooks, starting with 1984's Police Academy, that really put Ramsey on the map for the masses. She appeared in five sequels throughout the rest of the '80s. Ramsey then turned to voice acting, most notably for the animated series The Addams Family, and raising money for HIV/AIDS. "I have no words to say or explain the pain of all of those we lost," Police Academy co-star Michael Winslow, who played human sound-effects emulator Larvell Jones, tweeted on Ramsey's death. "Only that we feel it and understand ... and it still hurts." Her management team put out its own statement, per the BBC, noting, "The dimming of her light is already felt by those who knew her well. We will miss her, and always love her." Ramsey is survived by three brothers. (More obituary stories.)
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