Link (http://tvline.com/2012/06/02/kathryn-joosten-desperate-housewives-dies-lung-cancer/)

Emmy winner Kathryn Joosten, whose emotional death scene as Karen McKluskey gave Desperate Housewives‘ recent series finale its biggest emotional punch, died yesterday of lung cancer in Westlake Village, CA. She was 72.

Joosten won her Emmys in 2005 and 2008 in the Oustanding Guest Actress in a Comedy for her portrayal of Wisteria Lane’s crankiest (but still loveable) resident.

Prior to her Housewives success, Joosten was best known for playing Mrs. Landingham, secretary to Martin Sheen’s President Bartlet, on The West Wing.

She also had roles on such shows as Scrubs, My Name Is Earl, Joan of Arcadia, and Dharma & Greg.

Joosten, who didn’t begin her acting career until she was 42, famously told interviewers through the years that Housewives‘ creator Marc Cherry had promised never to kill off Mrs. McCluskey, seeing how many of her prior characters hadn’t survived to their shows’ series finales.

According to her rep, Joosten was surrounded by family at the time of her death.

:rip: Kathryn Joosten

Rest in peace.

I'm thinking it should be considered a blessing she survived long enough and was able to be there for the end of the series! :rip: Ms. Joosten.

Awww...I really liked her. She was also hilarious as a guest star in Providence. :rip:

Gee I read so many people dying in their 60's and 70's and I feel I have to make life worth living. So sad everyone has to die.

RIP. I really liked her in Desperate Housewives.

I always liked her but only because Im a huge Sarah Vowell fan and read her Wordy Shipmates did I find that Vowell LOVED this weird little sitcom that CBS aired back in 2000 called THANKS. And I searched it out and loand behold, there is Kathryn Joosten stealing every scene she was in as a crabby Puritan. Her and Cloris Leachman were brilliant together - two old pros playing! R.I.P.

RIP. I really liked her in Desperate Housewives.

She will be rememberd on DH, but I remember her well from a episode of The Nanny and she also guested on The Bold and The Beautiful when Stephanie was also a lung cancer survivor adn she was part of a therapy group with real survivors.

She will be missed.

She was also on an episode of Seinfeld as the warden in the women's prison when George was dating the girl in the prison. Funny episode. Loved Mrs. McClusky though. She had the best lines.