(RxWiki News) Mrs. McClusky was the cranky, crusty and lovable older lady, who always had a wisecrack for the "Desperate Housewives" of Wisteria Lane.
Kathryn Joosten, the Emmy-award-winning actress who played Mrs. McClusky, has died of lung cancer. She was 72.
She'd been battling the demon for 11 years, according to a family statement, "surrounded by love and humor till the end."
In the final season of "Desperate Housewives," Joosten was diagnosed with and eventually died of lung cancer.
"I have no fear of delving into this storyline," Joosten said. "This is a terrific idea to get the word out there and bring lung cancer awareness into the spotlight."
More than 225,000 Americans will learn they have lung cancer this year, and Joosten is among the 160,000 people in this country who will succumb to the disease.
Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer-related death in the United States.
Joosten was also known for her role as Mrs. Landingham on "The West Wing." She won two Emmy's in her career - in 2005 and 2008 - both for outstanding guest actress in a comedy series.
Marc Cherry, the creator of "Desperate Housewives," wrote in a statement, "“The character of Mrs. McCluskey was created for a single episode. We then cast Kathryn Joosten and she infused the part with so much feisty wit and curmudgeonly bravado, we knew we had to move her onto Wisteria Lane for the run of the series. I will forever miss her, as a co-worker and as a friend.”
