'Sesame Street' star Alaina Reed-Amini dead at 63

LOS ANGELES - December 22, 2009 -- Alaina Reed-Amini, the Broadway star and TV actress best known for her long-running roles on "Sesame Street" and "227," has died. She was 63.

Reed-Amini died Dec. 17 at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica after a two-year battle with breast cancer, her publicist Billy Laurence said Monday.

Previously known as Alaina Reed Hall, she remarried in 2008. Her stage credits include "Chicago" and "Hair." She appeared in several movies, including "Cruel Intentions" and "Death Becomes Her," and in guest-starring roles on numerous TV shows such as "ER," "NYPD Blue," "The Drew Carey Show" and "Ally McBeal."

Reed-Amini joined the "Sesame Street" cast in 1976 and played Olivia, a photographer and sister of the character Gordon. She remained on the show until 1988.

She starred on NBC's "227" from 1985 to 1990, playing the landlady and best friend of the show's main character. On the show's final season, Reed-Amini married a character played by her real-life husband, Kevin Peter Hall, who died in 1991.

Born Bernice Reed in Springfield, Ohio, on Nov. 10, 1946, Reed-Amini is survived by her husband, Tamim Amini, and two children from a previous marriage. According to her husband, no funeral or memorial services will be held, but a celebration of her life is being planned for next year.

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