The Life of Sitcom Star Marlo Thomas

In 1996, Ted Bessell died of an aortic aneurysm. He had remained close with her long after That Girl, where he played Donald Hollinger opposite her Ann Marie and became part of one of the defining partnerships of her career.

According to biographical accounts, she had urged him to see a doctor after he complained of chest pains only days before his death. His passing added a personal loss to the legacy of That Girl, just as the show was finding new life through nostalgia and reruns.