Tony-winning actress Elaine Stritch dies at 89

1/6

Elaine Stritch, whose forceful personality and salty language enlivened the New York stage for more than six decades, died July 17, 2014 at her home in Birmingham, Mich., at 89. Here’s a look back at the life of the actress. (Michelle Siu / Associated Press)

2/6

Elaine Stritch, shown on the set of “Sail Away” with playwright Noel Coward, received a Tony Award nomination for her work in the 1961 musical. Stritch, who started out with a minor role, became the show’s star. (Estate of Noel Coward / Associated Press)

3/6

Pictured are scenes from Elaine Stritch’s one-woman show “Elaine Stritch At Liberty,” which won a Tony Award in 2002. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

4/6

Elaine Stritch is shown at the Carlyle Hotel in New York in 2003. Stritch took her Tony Award-winning one-woman show “Elaine Stritch At Liberty” on the road with stops in cities that included Los Angeles. (Ari Mintz / For the Times)

5/6

Elaine Stritch celebrates her win for individual performance in a variety or musical at the 56th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2004. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

6/6

Elaine Stritch (1925-2014) -- The Tony Award-winning actress also portrayed Alec Baldwin’s mother in the NBC sitcom “30 Rock.” (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

By David Ng

July 17, 2014 10:59 AM PT

Elaine Stritch, the raspy-voiced actress whose forceful personality and salty language enlivened the New York stage for more than six decades, died Thursday at her home in Birmingham, Mich. She was 89.

Her death was confirmed by her friend, Julie Keyes, who cited age-related illnesses as the cause.

In a lengthy theater career whose ups and downs included a Tony Award, collaborations with Stephen Sondheim and Edward Albee and a debilitating but ultimately successful battle with alcoholism, Stritch had a temperament that was outsized even by Broadway standards.

Her long fight with the bottle formed a narrative corner for her 2002 one-woman Broadway show “Elaine Stritch at Liberty,” for which she won her only Tony following four nominations.

The autobiographical production was part of a late-career resurgence for Stritch. It was later filmed for HBO, winning her an Emmy Award.

“In my time, I have been known to lift a few,” she joked at the top of the show in her signature mix of self-deprecation and blunt honesty.

A full obituary will follow at latimes.com/obits.