Last Friday actress Bonnie Franklin passed away at the age of 69 from pancreatic cancer.

Bonnie is most remembered for her role in the ’70s and ’80s sitcom One Day at a Time.
Her character Ann Romano, was a new type of TV mom – divorced and raising two daughters on her own as she re-builds her personal and professional life. For the time it was incredibly revolutionary and also incredibly real for legions of the show’s fans.

Bonnie fought for the show to use humor in dealing with real life situations that other shows were afraid to tackle like teen pregnancy and dealing with an absentee father. She also made sure that problems weren’t solved by relying on the nearest man, but rather making sure that her character maintained her strength, independence and integrity. For the nine years of the shows run she portrayed a character that allowed hard-working, single moms to see themselves on TV and find humor in a hard situation. Bonnie carried that ideal into her real life, spending time advocating for women’s rights, speaking to large crowds at marches in Washington.

Her TV daughter Valerie Bertinelli had this to say “My heart is breaking. Bonnie has always been one of the most important women in my life and was a second mother to me. The years on One Day At A Time were some of the happiest of my life, and along with Pat and Mackenzie we were a family in every way. She taught me how to navigate this business and life itself with grace and humor, and to always be true to yourself. I will miss her terribly.”

In real life Bonnie was a devoted step-mother to Jed and Julie Minoff. She will be greatly missed, though her TV legacy will certainly live on.