Alaina Reed Hall, the beloved actress who starred on 'Sesame Street' and '227' after appearing on Broadway, lost her battle to breast cancer on Dec. 17 at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif. She was 63.According to the Los Angeles Times, Reed Hall was diagnosed with a terminal form of the disease in 2007.
Following her humble beginnings in the 1974 off-Broadway production 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on the Road,' the Springfield, Ohio, native joined 'Sesame Street' in 1976, where she played a professional photographer named Olivia.
In a 2004 interview, Reed Hall described the pivotal role as "the best job I ever had."
Her 12-year stint on the iconic children's show caught the attention of producers of the 1980s NBC sitcom '227,' who cast Reed Hall for the role of Rose Lee Holloway.
Having such a dynamic presence and the ability to sing added more flexibility when writing certain episodes around Reed Hall's character, said close friend and '227' star Marla Gibbs.
"She was very good in the role, and some episodes were written around her," she told the Times, adding that Reed Hall "was a wonderful singer. As a matter of fact, she and I did a nightclub act together at my club, Marla's Memory Lane," while taping the series.
"She worked on Broadway, she did stuff in New York. She was a very well-known singer in New York for a while before she did the show," Gibbs continued. "After we finished the show, she did quite a few commercials, so I was calling her the commercial queen.
"She was just a wonderful friend. She will be sorely missed; she fought the good fight."
Other notable appearances included roles in 'Hair,' 'Chicago' and 'Eubie,' in addition to cameos on 'ER,' 'NYPD Blue,' 'Friends' and 'Ally McBeal,' among others.
The actress, whose first marriage ended in divorce, found love again when she married 7-foot-2 actor Kevin Hall, who played in the film and television series 'Harry and the Hendersons.' Hall died in 1991 of complications due to AIDS. The couple (pictured above, along with Gibbs and Luther Vandross) played lovers on '227.' Reed Hall married Tamim Amini in 2008.
No funeral service will be held, however a celebration of her life is being planned for early next year.
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'227'
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Notable Cast Members: Marla Gibbs, Alaina Reed Hall, Jackée Harry, Helen Martin, Hal Williams, Regina King, Curtis Baldwin, Kia Goodwin, Reynaldo Rey, Countess Vaughn
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Comments: (8)
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By: The Mermaid on 12/22/2009 4:28PM
I remember Alaina on the show 227. She was a fine actress. I am sorry to hear of her passing. My sympathies to her family.
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By: joyce meeks on 12/22/2009 7:23PM
Ms.Hall will be terribly missed. I don't remember her from Sesame Street,but i definitely remember her from 227. I loved her as Rose,and she represented best friends all over. Much condolences to her family.Please,take to heart Revelations 21:3,4 and Acts 24:15 that only God can give.
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By: FashionedByGod33 on 12/23/2009 10:57AM
R.I.P. I always liked her on "227." I always loved her smile.
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By: Gail on 12/24/2009 8:03AM
wow....i remember her on 227 but not on sesame street..i guess because i didnt watch like that...so sorry to hear this news...and i didn't know she could sing like that...didnt know she could sing at all....wow...beautiful voice...i'd like to think she's singing with the angels now....God is comforting the family.....
i hate cancer!!!!
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By: shayla on 12/24/2009 3:11PM
I was a little gurl when I first remembered 227 coming on. Rose the character name she had she was so funny and a good actress. she will always be remembered for her personality and who she was. She no longer endures the pain but the sweet smell of fresh air and the new life she will have with Jesus.
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By: Jacqeline on 12/27/2009 10:09PM
I remember her on 227, Thanksgiving88 or 89 she was on a float at the parade my sister took her son and my son &neice She was screaming Rose so much the next day she could not talk. They had a Great time
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By: Kevin on 12/29/2009 3:35PM
I remembered watching her on Sesame Street, then on 227. Very good actress. She will be missed. And may she rest in peace.
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By: Melissa M. on 1/21/2010 4:14PM
I remembered seeing her on Sesame Street. I am not pratically sure whether she was playing Olvia or herself on there. I remember her playing the landlady on 227. I liked her on both shows. I loved her smile with a beautiful voice, sense of humor. What a talented actress she was. I will miss
her so much and will always think of her.
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