Nearly a day after the death of Carrie Fisher, her mother, legendary Hollywood actress Debbie Reynolds, died at the age of eighty-four. And while many people will remember Reynolds for her roles in numerous classic film and TV roles (i.e. Singing in the Rain, How the West was Won, Will and Grace), those of us growing up in the late 1990’s-2000’s will remember her for a much different role. To us, she was kindly old Aggie Cromwell from the Disney Channel Halloweentown franchise, a powerful witch who aided her granddaughter Marnie (Kimberly J. Brown) in stopping supernatural threats against the mortal world and Halloweentown: a world where mystic creatures (monsters, witches, etc.) live together in harmony. Following Reynolds’ death, among the many people to post their condolences on social media were her Halloweentown co-stars, all of whom remember her fondly.
“What do you say about a woman who had such an impact on your life both professionally and personally?” Brown posted on her Facebook page. “Debbie lived her life like all of us should, to the fullest. She was bold, funny, and had the biggest heart. Her sparkly smile warmed every room she was in, and her jokes about her amazing career and life would make your stomach hurt with laughter. Making people happy through her performing was her favorite thing to do, and she showed me at a young age what a gift it is to be able to do that for people.”
In addition, Judith Hoag, who played the role of Aggie’s daughter/Marnie’s mother Gwen Cromwell, shared her thoughts about working with Reynolds on Twitter. Profoundly saddened by the loss of the beautiful, talented, wise & funny Debbie Reynolds — a true gem of a human being.”
We will all remember her as something special from our childhoods. As Reynolds’ character put it herself, “being normal is vastly overrated.”