Joyce Randolph, the actress best known for playing the role of neighbor Trixie Norton on The Honeymooners, has died at the age of 99. Randolph was in hospice care at the time of her death, her son Randy told TMZ.
Randolph was the last surviving cast member of The Honeymooners, which aired from 1955 to 1956, and also starred Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden, Audrey Meadows as Alice Kramden, and Art Carney, who played Trixie’s husband Ed Norton. Randolph came to the role after Gleason saw her in a Clorets chewing-gum commercial and asked her to appear on his variety show Cavalcade of Stars. It was on that series that The Honeymooners was born, as a series of recurring sketches that originally featured Elaine Stritch as Trixie before Randolph took over the role. The sketches continued on The Jackie Gleason Show before launching as its own stand-alone sitcom in 1955, running for 39 episodes.
Randolph, who didn’t participate in any of the sitcom’s revivals, has said that being synonymous with the classic character made it difficult to get other work throughout her career. But she did reprise the role once in 1991, alongside Audrey Meadows as Alice, in an episode of the meta-sitcom Hi Honey, I’m Home.
Randolph is survived by her son Randy, from her marriage to Richard Lincoln Charles, whom she wed the day after The Honeymooners premiered in 1955. The pair remained married until his death in 1997.