‘Mod Squad’ and ‘Twin Peaks’ Star Peggy Lipton Dead Aged 72

‘Mod Squad’ and ‘Twin Peaks’ Star Peggy Lipton Dead Aged 72
Actress Peggy Lipton poses for photos at an event at the Vista Theatre in Los Angeles, Cali. on July 16, 2014. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Tom Ozimek
5/12/2019
Updated:
5/12/2019

Actress Peggy Lipton, who starred in David Lynch’s iconic show “Twin Peaks,” and the 1960s television series “The Mod Squad,” has died.

Lipton died on Saturday, May 11, at the age of 72.

The cause of death was cancer.

Lipton’s daughters, Rashida and Kidada Jones, announced their mother’s passing in a statement, The Associated Press reported.

“She made her journey peacefully with her daughters and nieces by her side. We feel so lucky for every moment we spent with her. We can’t put all of our feelings into words right now but we will say: Peggy was, and will always be our beacon of light, both in this world and beyond. She will always be a part of us.”

Peggy Lipton (R) with her daughter, actress Rashida Jones, and ex-husband Quincy Jones at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 20, 2012. Lipton has died of cancer at age 72. (Danny Moloshok, File/AP Photo)
Peggy Lipton (R) with her daughter, actress Rashida Jones, and ex-husband Quincy Jones at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 20, 2012. Lipton has died of cancer at age 72. (Danny Moloshok, File/AP Photo)

Lipton played an undercover “hippie cop” on “The Mod Squad,” which aired on ABC in the 1960s. She was nominated for Emmys and won a Golden Globe in 1971 for her performance.

The actress married music producer Quincy Jones in 1974, and they had two daughters. The couple divorced in 1989.

After wedding Jones, Lipton mostly stepped away from the spotlight to focus on motherhood.

She returned to acting in the 1990s, being cast in the role of Norma Jennings in David Lynch’s cult classic “Twin Peaks.”

“It was very scary,” Lipton told the Los Angeles Times in a 1993 interview. “I had a push-pull thing inside me that I wanted to do it. I had become so insulated in my world as a mother, that I didn’t know how to pick up the phone and call anybody to put myself out there.”
In recent years, Lipton occasionally appeared in supporting roles in films such as “When in Rome” and “A Dog’s Purpose” and TV series like “Alias,” “Crash” and 2017’s “Twin Peaks” revival.

Tributes Pour In

Fellow Twin Peaks star Madchen Amick expressed her condolences in a touching post on Twitter.

“I lost a sister today. She was a true angel on earth. Always the coolest in the room. You couldn’t fit anymore love into that gorgeous soul of hers and she shared her heart generously with everyone around her.”

Actress Helen Hunt wrote: “She’s the one I always wanted to be.”

Author and music and television critic David Wild wrote: “Farewell to an eternally mod & enduringly beautiful soul, #PeggyLipton.”

Notable Celebrity Deaths in 2019

Nipsey Hussle
Nipsey Hussle and Lauren London in Los Angeles, Calif., on Feb. 7, 2019. The rapper was shot dead in late March. (Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images)
Nipsey Hussle and Lauren London in Los Angeles, Calif., on Feb. 7, 2019. The rapper was shot dead in late March. (Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images)
Luke Perry
Undated file photo of Luke Perry. (Newsmakers)
Undated file photo of Luke Perry. (Newsmakers)

John Singleton

Iconic “Boyz N The Hood” director and the youngest ever Oscar nominee for best picture died after spending days in a coma following a stroke.
John Singleton attends the 90th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, Calif., on March 4, 2018. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
John Singleton attends the 90th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, Calif., on March 4, 2018. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
Peter Tork
Peter Tork of the Monkees passed away at 77 in February 2019. (Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)
Peter Tork of the Monkees passed away at 77 in February 2019. (Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)
Albert Finney
British actor Albert Finney died in February 2019 at the age of 82. (Lucy Nicholson/AFP/Getty Images)
British actor Albert Finney died in February 2019 at the age of 82. (Lucy Nicholson/AFP/Getty Images)
James Ingram
Longtime R&B singer James Ingram died in late January. Quincy Jones, a collaborator of his, wrote, “With that soulful, whisky sounding voice, James Ingram was simply magical ... every beautiful note that James sang pierced your essence and comfortably made itself at home.”
Singer James Ingram died at the age of 66 after a battle with brain cancer, according to reports on Jan. 29. (Getty Images)
Singer James Ingram died at the age of 66 after a battle with brain cancer, according to reports on Jan. 29. (Getty Images)
Freddie Starr

Celebrity comedian Freddie Starr has died aged 76 at his home in Spain, according to reports.

The body of the British-born funnyman was reportedly discovered by a carer at his apartment in Mijas on the Costa del Sol on May 9, the Mirror reported.

Starr had been ill.

A neighbor, who asked not to be named, told the Mirror: “His carer found him dead in his chair at around 3:30 p.m. Police arrived first and then later an ambulance arrived and he was taken away.

“His next door neighbor, who is a nurse, said he was definitely dead. She said she thinks he may have suffered a heart attack.”

Legendary comedian Freddie Starr attends the British Comedy Awards at Fountain Studios in London, England, on December 16, 2011. (Stuart Wilson/Getty Images)
Legendary comedian Freddie Starr attends the British Comedy Awards at Fountain Studios in London, England, on December 16, 2011. (Stuart Wilson/Getty Images)
Kelly Jobanputra
BBC Radio 6 music presenter Kelly Jobanputra, of Swindon in southwest England, died on April 26, according to the Swindon Advertiser. She was tragically struck and killed by a train, according to reports.
The celebrity radio host had just turned 40 in April, The Sun reported, and last year had given birth to her second child.
Kelly Jobanputra poses for a photograph she posted on Twitter on March 31, 2019. (@KelJobanputra/Twitter)
Kelly Jobanputra poses for a photograph she posted on Twitter on March 31, 2019. (@KelJobanputra/Twitter)
Fatima Ali

“Top Chef” alum Fatima Ali died on Jan. 25, after a battle with terminal cancer. She was 29.

Former “Top Chef” contestant Bruce Kalman paid tribute to her: “It’s with a heavy heart we say goodbye to Fatima Ali today, as she has lost her battle with cancer,” he wrote.

“Top Chef” star Fatima Ali died at the age of 29 after battling a form of bone cancer, said her family. (Instagram)
“Top Chef” star Fatima Ali died at the age of 29 after battling a form of bone cancer, said her family. (Instagram)
Carol Channing
Carol Channing, whose career spanned decades on Broadway and on television, died at age 97. Publicist B. Harlan Boll said Channing died of natural causes early in Rancho Mirage, Calif., on Jan. 15, 2019. (Jim Cole/AP Photo, File)
Carol Channing, whose career spanned decades on Broadway and on television, died at age 97. Publicist B. Harlan Boll said Channing died of natural causes early in Rancho Mirage, Calif., on Jan. 15, 2019. (Jim Cole/AP Photo, File)
Bob Einstein
Bob Einstein in Hollywood, Calif., on June 27, 2018. (Christopher Polk/Getty Images)
Bob Einstein in Hollywood, Calif., on June 27, 2018. (Christopher Polk/Getty Images)
Comedian and actor Bob Einstein died on Jan. 2 after a battle with cancer. He was 76.

Daryl Dragon

Daryl 'The Captain' Dragon beside his ex-wife, Toni Tennille, wearing his signature captain's hat. (Hillel Italie/AP)
Daryl 'The Captain' Dragon beside his ex-wife, Toni Tennille, wearing his signature captain's hat. (Hillel Italie/AP)

Daryl Dragon, or “Captain,” of pop group Captain and Tennille, died on Jan. 2 of renal failure.

Epoch Times reporter Jack Phillips and The Associated Press contributed to this article.