Blossom Actors You May Not Know Passed Away
"Blossom" was a popular 1990s TV sitcom that featured a large cast of characters. Starring Mayim Bialik as daydreaming teen Blossom Russo, the comedy series aired on NBC from 1990 to 1995, per IMDb. In addition to Bialik, "Blossom" also made teen stars out of Joey Lawrence (who — whoa! — played her brother, Joey) and Jenna Von Oÿ (aka Blossom's bestie, Six) as it followed the family and friends of the fractured Russo family. Michael Stoyanov played eldest Russo child Tony, who was a recovering addict turned paramedic, while the family patriarch Nick was played by Ted Wass. Blossom's checked-out mom, Maddy, was played by Melissa Manchester.
"Blossom" was popular enough to attract a long list of big-name guest stars, including Will Smith, Hugh Hefner, Phylicia Rashad, and music legend B.B. King. Heck, even 1970s legends Sonny Bono and David Cassidy made cameos on the show.
In 2017, Lawrence told Us Weekly that he and Bialik get asked to do a "Blossom" revival "all the time." "Mayim is interested in doing some type of reunion with the show and so am I," he said. "If we can find the right piece and the right way in for a reboot/reunion, we're both open to it. There's a lot of talk around it, so we'll see!" Sadly, in the 25-plus years since "Blossom" ended its five-season run, several of the show's memorable cast members have passed away, so a revival would definitely be missing some characters.
Barnard Hughes died at age 90
Four years after playing the eccentric Grandpa in the 1987 movie "The Lost Boys," Barnard Hughes appeared on "Blossom," playing maternal grandfather Buzz Richman. The actor logged 52 episodes of the sitcom starting in 1991, per IMDb, playing a jazzman who had a sense of humor and an eye for the ladies. Grandpa Buzz even moved into the Russo household at one point.
Hughes lived a little more than 10 years after "Blossom" ended. The beloved character actor, who was an Emmy and Tony-award winner and also had recurring roles on "All in the Family" and "The Bob Newhart Show," passed away in a New York hospital on July 11, 2006, following a brief illness, according to an obituary posted by the Los Angeles Times. Hughes was 90 years old when he died, just shy of his 91st birthday. His final acting role was in 2000 on the TV series "Deadline."
Bill Bixby died while still working on 'Blossom'
Television legend Bill Bixby only appeared in one episode of "Blossom," playing a police officer in the 1993 episode "Blossom's Dilemma," according to IMDb, but he had a huge behind-the-scenes presence on the NBC sitcom. Bixby, who had a decades-long classic TV career on shows such as "My Favorite Martian," 'The Courtship of Eddie's Father," and "The Incredible Hulk," became a main director on "Blossom." He directed 30 episodes of the series starting in 1992, one year after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, per Closer Weekly. Bixby underwent treatment and kept his cancer a secret, but in 1993, he collapsed while working on the set of the show. Bixby died days later on Nov. 21, 1993, at age 59.
"Blossom" star Mayim Bialik told ABC News that Bixby's sudden death was difficult for her to handle as a young star. "We had an emotional third season," she said. "Those memories stand out in that they were really hard. That was hard to deal with as a young person."
Brittany Murphy died at age 32
Two years before her success as Tai Frasier in the movie "Clueless," Brittany Murphy guest-starred in a 1993 "Blossom" episode. Murphy played Wendy in the Season 4 opener "Blossom in Paris: Part 1," which saw the show's title character contemplating a permanent move to France.
Sixteen years after her one and only "Blossom" appearance, Murphy died suddenly at the young age of 32 — and under mysterious circumstances. She passed away on December 20, 2009, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. Her cause of death was listed as acute pneumonia combined with severe iron-deficiency anemia and multiple drug intoxication, per OK Magazine. Adding to the mystery was the fact that less than five months after Murphy's death, her husband, British screenwriter Simon Monjack, passed away at age 40 with the same cause of death. Despite the unusual – and coincidental — circumstances, Murphy's death was ruled accidental, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Tony Pope died at age 56
Tony Pope was known for his amazing voice work. He voiced Disney's Goofy character for 11 years, and he provided voices in the 1980s animated series "Spider-Man" and "The Transformers. " He was even the voice of the popular 1998 interactive toy "Furby," as noted on IMDb. Pope also provided the voices for Cheshire Cat and the King of Hearts for the Alice in Wonderland ride at Disneyland, per Legacy, and he can be heard in the films "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "Shrek," and "Back to the Future." Likewise, he voiced a computer in a 1984 episode of "The Facts of Life." With such an impressive career as a voice actor on his resume, it's no surprise that for the 1993 "Blossom" episode "Kiss and Tell," Pope was enlisted to provide voiceovers.
Sadly, his iconic career was cut short. Pope died unexpectedly on February 11, 2004, in Burbank, California, following complications from leg surgery. He was just 56 years old at the time of his death.