Today (May 18) is the 30th anniversary of Elizabeth Montgomery's passing - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 05-18-2025, 10:25 PM

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Bewitched actress, Elizabeth Montgomery, has died. She was 62 years old.

Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery (April 15, 1933 – May 18, 1995) was an American film, stage, and television actress whose career spanned five decades. She is best remembered for her leading role as witch Samantha Stephens on the television series Bewitched.

The daughter of Robert Montgomery, an actor, director and producer she began her career in the 1950s with a role on her father's television series Robert Montgomery Presents, and won a Theater World Award for her 1956 Broadway debut in the production Late Love. In the 1960s, she became known for her role as Samantha Stephens on the ABC sitcom Bewitched. Her work on the series earned her five Primetime Emmy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations. After Bewitched ended its run in 1972, Montgomery continued her career with roles in numerous television films, including A Case of Rape (1974), as Ellen Harrod, and The Legend of Lizzie Borden (1975) in the title role. Both roles earned her additional Emmy Award nominations.

Throughout her career, Montgomery was involved in various forms of political activism and charitable work.

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Entertainment Tonight, May 18th 1995 - Elizabeth Montgomery has died.

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TMC · 04-12-2026, 12:24 AM

‘She Was Too Young’ – Bewitched Star Erin Murphy Opens Up On Elizabeth Montgomery’s Death

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Baby Boomers no doubt recall Elizabeth Montgomery in the comedy series Bewitched, and her fellow cast member Erin Murphy has now opened up about her death.

In a December entertainment interview on Celebrity Drop, Murphy spoke of her TV mom’s 1995 death from colon cancer at the age of 62. She played the role of Samantha Stephens’ (Montgomery) daughter, Tabitha in the sitcom.

She was heartbroken over the loss of her co-star and explained what made it even more difficult was that several media outlets reached out to her rather than to her real-life children, Bill, Rebecca and Robert Asher for comment on her illness. Murphy did say it was likely that they did so “out of respect to the family,” but it made things really difficult for her.

“They were putting together her obituaries, her in memoriams [sic], you know, weeks leading up to her passing away. So, I mean, that part was very difficult,” Murphy said in the December interview. Moreover, Erin noted that her former co-star died at the age of 62, saying, “She was much too young. I’m going to be 62 next year, so the thought of that is just crazy.”

At the time, Murphy said she had no idea how sick Montgomery was with her cancer, making it even harder for her. “I’d heard about it through her son that she wasn’t feeling well. She’d been working on a film and just wasn’t feeling well,” said Murphy.

Back in 2022, Murphy was interviewed by Pop Culture Retro, where she opened up about her time working with Montgomery, saying how fond she was of her co-star and the work. Bewitched ran for eight seasons up until 1972, and she noted that she was only two years old in its third season. According to Erin, due to her age, she attracted some of Montgomery’s personality traits due to spending so much time together on the Bewitched set.

“In some ways, I’m more like Liz than like my own mom because it was my first eight years of my life, I was on set,” Murphy said in the 2022 interview.

In addition, she described Montgomery in the comedy as “smart and hilarious and beautiful.” She also said that while she didn’t have the closest relationship with Montgomery after Bewitched came to an end, she’s still friends with her children, whom she shared with her second ex-husband, Bewitched director William Asher.

As noted on the sitcom’s IMDb page, the American sitcom tells the story of a young witch, Samantha, who marries an ordinary mortal, Darrin Stephens. While she promises her husband that she will restrict her witch powers and be a normal housewife, life has other plans for her. One of the cutest aspects of Montgomery’s character was how she twitched her nose while making a spell.

Besides Montgomery and Murphy, Dick York starred as Darrin Stephens, Elizabeth’s husband, Agnes Moorehead played Endora and David White starred in the role of Larry Tate.

TMC · 06-06-2026, 06:20 PM

PEOPLE Magazine's second big mistake - June 5, 1995

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In 1977, a few weeks after the death of Elvis Presley, the fairly new PEOPLE Magazine made a huge mistake by not giving his death the 'cover story' his fans and the public demanded, while their competition did. PEOPLE realized their mistake (losing plenty of news-stand sales that week to their competitors) and later issued a statement, apologizing to their subscribers and Elvis fans, for not giving him the attention he deserved. After all, they prided themselves on being 'the Celebrity Profile' magazine and this should've gotten a cover story.

Jumping ahead 18 years later, and the magazine makes another huge blunder with their June 5, 1995 issue. It was the first issue after the death of beloved TV actress Elizabeth Montgomery, who had a successful TV career since 1964 (her last TV movie aired just weeks before her death, to blockbuster ratings). The issue had the date of June 5, but was actually released on May 29, 1995 - the second Monday following her death. She did appear on the cover - but in the top right corner in a 'thumbnail photo' next to the banner : 'Bewitched's' Elizabeth Montgomery : A Tribute'. The magazine didn't give her the cover story that week, instead sticking to its plan to give Keanu Reeves the cover story to tie in with his new movie 'Speed'. As with Elvis in 1977, the magazine received backlash from subscribers and the public for not making her the cover story - while their competitors did.

To combat the furor, PEOPLE explained they had a 'deadline' to meet for publication, and the best they could do was with what they ended up publishing, and sticking with Keanu on the cover. Montgomery's PR agent said there was much more to the story than PEOPLE was saying.

Montgomery's media-publicist at the time (Howard Bragman) went on the record to say that PEOPLE had gotten the news the actress was facing her last days a couple of weeks before her death from colon cancer, when the press was tipped off by hospital employees, and everyone scrambled to get the latest news on the dying actress. (HIPAA laws did not take effect until 15 months after she was hospitalized).

He acknowledged that Montgomery had 'an extreme dislike' for PEOPLE since 1981, when they reported on the death of her father, actor Robert Montgomery in what she believed was an unflattering way. She hadn't sat for an interview with the magazine since, despite many requests from the publication. According to Bragman, he updated the magazine with news on her last days - believing they would do a respectable job reporting her death, and paying tribute to the actress. Bergman claims they told him 'if Elizabeth died by 3 pm ET Wednesday, May 17' they would give her the cover. If it was after, she got the thumbnail. (The actress died on Thursday, May 18 around 9 am PT). When he called with the official news of her death, Bragman said he was told they could make an exception and give her the cover story - IF he provided any 'dirt' on the actress' life, and details on her long-time relationship with actor Robert Foxworth. He claimed he hung up on them. (For the record, she did get the cover story for the May 29 issue of WHO magazine, PEOPLE's counterpart in Australia - it became the best selling issue of the year for them).

Later, it was also alleged (by a PEOPLE staffer) that Reeves' management agency paid off PEOPLE to make their new client the cover story that week to tie in with his new movie 'Johnny Mnemonic' which was opening the following weekend. There was no way PEOPLE would back out on the deal and lose that money. PEOPLE denied this allegation.