Jennifer Runyon, Cindy in A Very Brady Christmas, has died

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>>>Jennifer Runyon, the actress who stepped in as Cindy Brady in A Very Brady Christmas and appeared in Ghostbusters and on the sitcom Charles in Charge, died of cancer Friday at 65.

When Susan Olsen was unavailable for the reunion holiday movie A Very Brady Christmas in 1988, Runyon was cast, joining the original actors from family comedy The Brady Bunch. She did not reprise the role when the Brady family returned in the short-lived 1990 series The Bradys, however.<<<

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marcber...ss-dies-at-65/

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Join me as I remember the life and career of Jennifer Runyon, who passed away on Friday, March 6, 2026 at the all too young age of 65. From her unforgettable Ghostbusters ESP test to her classic TV roles in Charles in Charge and A Very Brady Christmas, let's celebrate this beloved 80s star's enduring legacy.

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Susan Olsen posted a tribute:

“Over the decades all three Brady Bunch girls have been replaced for one reunion or another. There is “Fake Jan” and Fake Marcia” But Jennifer Runyon must always to be referred to as “Christmas Cindy”. This was one role in many during her acting career. I didn’t actually know her except as the girl in “The In Crowd” but I was very happy when they chose her to replace me in “A Very Brady Christmas” because she was so pretty. I was relieved to know that anyone who didn’t realize that she wasn’t me would think I turned out good.

We met at Burger King. This was many years later and we were among the mothers in the play area waiting for our kids to please get tired and ask to go home. I saw a blonde woman across the ball pit squinting at me. “Do I know her?” I wondered and squinted back. She mouthed the word, “Susan?” It hit me who she was! I mouthed back, “Jennifer?” And then just like in the movies, we trotted toward each other meeting in the middle of the play area in an embrace!

We were instant friends!

Over the coming years our friendship grew. How could it not? We had a ridiculous amount of things in common. Mostly silly stuff like a shared obsession for soft skin and we were suckers for any bath products that promised this result. We were also pretty much, if not entirely, on the same page, politically; but most of all, we shared a common first love:

HORSES!

We could wax poetic about equitation and how we both "back in the day" were praised for our remarkably “quiet hands”. We even co-hosted a podcast together for a while. She was always kind, always funny and always gorgeous. The kind of person who would be there if you ever asked. At the time when I was trying to sell a TV show about going off the grid, she actually did it! I’m sure she and her wonderful husband weren’t actually “roughing it” but they lived in Montana in nature’s beauty – another common passion. I had a standing invitation to visit, and like with so many things, I always meant to…

I don’t think anybody has ever had an unkind word to say about her. She was loved by all who knew her. I’m grateful that I was one of those people.

Jen, you will be missed!

Love You Forever! - OG Cindy

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