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Carole Cook, film actor and Broadway star who is most recognized for her role as Grandma Helen in the cult-favorite 1980s movie “Sixteen Candles,” has died. She was 98 years old.
Her death was confirmed by her agent Robert Malcolm to CNN. The celeb died “peacefully” on January 11 due to heart-related health issues. Her husband, actor Tom Troupe, said Cook died just three days before her 99th birthday.
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Cook’s career got its much-deserved boost when she was encouraged by Lucille Ball to come to Hollywood. At the time, she still went by her real name and only changed her moniker upon the urging of Ball, per The Hollywood Reporter. Born Mildred Frances Cook, she switched to Carole Cook to give tribute to one of her favorite actors, Carole Lombard. She appeared on “The Lucy Show” as Lucy Carmichael’s friend Thelma Green between 1963 and 1968. She also had appearances on “Here Lucy,” and in the ’70s, she started forging a career on Broadway. But while Cook had quite an illustrious career, she was also known for getting into trouble with the United States Secret Service in 2018.
