Archie Bunker and Edith Bunker
Movies - TV
Why Edith Bunker Was Killed Off By All In The Family
By CHRIS EVANGELISTA
Norman Lear's hit sitcom "All in the Family" continued as the spin-off "Archie Bunker's Place," but the new incarnation would come with the death of a beloved character.
In an interview with the Detroit Free Press in 1979, Jean Stapleton revealed that she no longer wanted to play the leading role of Edith Bunker.
Stapleton said she harbored no ill will toward the show or her cast members, she just decided that Edith's character had run its course.
"Quit makes it sound as if I was leaving in anger or with something unfinished," Stapleton said. "It just isn't so. I love Edith. She changed my life."
"So far, by doing other things in the summer, I've kept my identity as an actress separate. But, I was afraid if I went on as Edith, I'd never lose her," Stapleton added.
Robert Daly, who was vice president of CBS Television at the time, convinced Carroll O'Connor to keep the show alive. Edith was killed off-screen, dying from a stroke.
The series was re-named "Archie Bunker's Place" and focused primarily on the action at the bar Archie purchased in season 8 of "All in the Family" instead of the Bunker home.