Lara Parker, R.I.P.

Above, Lara Parker at a Dark Shadows Festival. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This one hits hard.

The gorgeous Lara Parker, who played the witch Angelique on the ABC spook-opera Dark Shadows, has passed away at age 84.

A post from the House of Dark Shadows Facebook page:

It is with a heavy heart to announce that our beloved, Angelique (Lara Parker) has passed away. Please keep her family in your prayers.

And, from her co-star and friend Kathryn Leigh Scott:

We met as "Josette" and "Angelique" on Dark Shadows. . . that's how many knew us, but we knew each other as friends and confidantes. For more than 50 years, our lives were intertwined through our mutual love of literature, writing and acting. While getting on with the ordinary stuff of life, we sought each other out for encouragement, support and a trusted sounding board. We could not have been more unalike, and therein lay the magic of our enduring friendship. My thoughts are with her family in this sad time of grief and remembrance.

 At Soap Hub, Scott is quoted:

The news of Parker’s passing was reported by her dear friend and Dark Shadows co-star Kathryn Leigh Scott (ex-Maggie/ex-Josette). “I have sad news . . . my beautiful, beloved friend Lara Parker passed away Thursday, October 12,” Scott shared on Facebook. “I’m heartbroken, as all of us are who knew and loved her. She graced our lives with her beauty and talent, and we are all richer for having had her in our lives. Family meant more than anything to Lara, and they have wanted these few days since her passing to themselves. Rest in peace, my cherished friend.”

Details on her passing have not as yet been provided.