Mry Hartman, Mary Hartman's sister dies at 52 (Debralee Scott)

[Eve]

From the L.A. Times. She was one of those really good comic actresses whose career never really took off:

[b]Debralee Scott, 52, an actress best-known for her roles in the television shows "Welcome Back, Kotter" and "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman," died April 5 at her home in Amelia Island, Fla., according to her sister, Jerilyn Scott. Scott said her sister died of natural causes. Born in Elizabeth, N.J., Scott completed high school in San Francisco while attending the American Conservatory Theatre. Her first film appearances were in "Dirty Harry" and "American Graffiti." She appeared in "Welcome Back, Kotter" from 1975 to 1976 as Rosalie "Hotzi" Totzi. In 1976 and 1977, she played the role of Cathy Shumway, the younger sister of series star Louise Lasser on "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman." She also appeared in the series "Angie" as the title character's younger sister.

[Otto]

She was a frequent guest celebrity on various incarnations of Match Game, which I would guess is where most people these days might recognize her. I always went back and forth on her on that show. She always came off as one of those comic sexbomb types but she always seemed to be trying just a little too hard.

[BrotherCadfael]

Not Hotzi Totzi????

[Walloon]

She made overbite sexy.

[Otto]

Gene Tierney (http://imdb.com/name/nm0000074/) made overbite sexy.

[TeaElle]

That's a shame. I always liked her, and wondered why she didn't achieve a greater level of popularity and work. What kind of "natural causes" kill a woman at age 52?

[Mr. Blue Sky]

That's a shame. I always liked her, and wondered why she didn't achieve a greater level of popularity and work. What kind of "natural causes" kill a woman at age 52?


Bad heart?

[Eve]

Sadder and sadder:

She had been engaged to John Dennis Levi, a police officer with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey who was killed in the Sept. 11 attacks.

[dropzone]

Sadder and sadder:Well, they're either together forever or in a state of not caring whatsoever.

She was a cutie.

[Eve]

Well, they're either together forever or in a state of not caring whatsoever.

I, of course, am going with "in a state of not caring whatsoever," but it's sad that her last few years were so, well, that damn word "sad" keeps cropping up. Must reach up and get my Thesaurus.

[Sampiro]

So sad. I remember her as the goofy sister on the totally forgotten sit-com Angie (I had such a crush on Robert Hays) and in the Police Academy movies. She was pretty much a fixture for a few years in sit-coms and low-budget movies.

[FriarTed]

Not Hotzi Totzi????


daughter of....

Reverend Totzi.

Rest happily in the Light Perpetual, Debralee.

[Walloon]

What kind of "natural causes" kill a woman at age 52?The cause of death was cirrhosis of the liver (http://my.webmd.com/content/article/90/100596.htm).

[Starving Artist]

Walloon, you seem sure of your comment so I don't doubt that it's so, but would you mind providing a cite? I've been curious about the cause ever since she died, probably because the "natural causes" stated by her family sounds so unlikely.

At any rate, I've been Googling away ever since reading your comment and I can't find anything on it.

[Eve]

Cirrhosis of the liver, as you can see by Walloon's link, is not necessarily linked with alcoholism, as so many people believe.

[Walloon]

The National Enquirer, May 2, 2005, p. 38:"Debralee [Scott] had cirrhosis of the liver from her drinking," said Joanne Priavity, mother of Scott's fiance. Debralee was engaged to Port Authority copy Dennis Levi when he was killed in the 9/11 attack.

Said her sister Jerri Scott: "The last words she heard from him was when he called her and said 'I'm leaving the first World Trade Center building and going to the second building.' Both buidings collapsed. She never did get over Dennis' death."

[Walloon]

Sorry, that should be "Port Authority cop".

[Eve]

Debralee [Scott] had cirrhosis of the liver from her drinking," said Joanne Priavity, mother of Scott's fiance.

Oh, well, don't I look a right prat.

[Starving Artist]

Thanks, Walloon. I was sorry to hear of Debra Lee's death; there was always something sort of vulnerable and likable about her. I was hoping her death truly was due to a previously unknown "natural" problem and that it was quick and painless. I was sorry to learn of the tragic circumstances that occurred in her life.

[Imasquare]

The National Enquirer, May 2, 2005, p. 38:
Is the National Enquirer a reliable source of information?

I always thought it was one of those trashy magazines that make claims of aliens landing or Abraham Lincoln being revived from his grave by Elvis.

[Mr. Blue Sky]

Is the National Enquirer a reliable source of information?

Surprisingly, yes in a lot of cases like this.

[Sampiro]

Is the National Enquirer a reliable source of information?

I always thought it was one of those trashy magazines that make claims of aliens landing or Abraham Lincoln being revived from his grave by Elvis.

Not really- that's more The Weekly World News. Enquirer, after all the lawsuits of the 70s and 80s, is actually a lot more like People than it is "Reincarnation of Lorne Greene Born With Six Nipples to Tibetan Priestess" stuff, and especially with Grade C through L celebrities they usually get their facts straight from the source. It's only when they quote an anonymous "inside source" on something about Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt that they tend to really fabricate.

[Walloon]

I always thought it was one of those trashy magazines that make claims of aliens landing or Abraham Lincoln being revived from his grave by Elvis.No, that's not what the Enquirer is like. You're thinking of bizarro tabloids like The Weekly World News and The National Examiner.

If the Enquirer directly quotes Debralee Scott's sister and the mother of Debralee's fiancé, you can trust that they are quoting them accurately. I just read an obituary (http://cf1.newsday.infi.net/911/victimsearch.cfm?id=612) of Dennis Levi in Newsday, that says Mrs. Priavity and Debralee were completing a wallpapering job together at his mother's home that Dennis had planned to do. It sounds like she and Debralee were close.

The obituary also says that Dennis and Debralee met at a NYC bar called Hogs and Heifers.