Marcia Strassman of 'Welcome Back, Kotter' dies

by USA TODAY

Strassman's sister, Julie, confirmed her death to the Associated Press:

"They gave her 2 ½ years to live but she lasted much longer," she said. "She was very courageous."

A friend, producer/director Bob Weide, first broke the news of her death on Twitter

Strassman, who also made appearances on M*A*S*H and other 1970s TV series, gained fame as Julie Kotter in ABC's Welcome Back, Kotter. The show centered around her TV husband (Kaplan), who returned to his Brooklyn school to teach a classroom full of misfits that included future superstar John Travolta.

Her big-screen work included the popular 1989 film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids withRick Moranis and its 1992 sequel, Honey I Blew Up the Kids.

Strassman also spent many years as a national board member of the Screen Actors Guild.

She's the third Welcome Back, Kotter castmate to die in recent years. In 2012, Ron Palillo, who played Horshack, and Robert Hegyes, who played Epstein, both passed away.