Pat Carroll, the woman behind the iconic voice of the most loved villain in Disney’s The Little Mermaid died at the age of 95 while recovering from pneumonia. Her representative, Derek Maki, had been the one to confirm her passing.
An Emmy and Grammy Award-winning actress, Carroll was well-known for being the voice of the sea witch Ursula in Disney’s 1989 animated film, The Little Mermaid. In addition to being an outstanding and brilliant voice actress for various characters, Caroll appeared on some of the most famous TV shows of all time, including The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Laverne & Shirley, The Love Boat, Designing Women, and ER, as well as a few game shows.
Carroll died on Saturday at her home in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, according to her daughter Kerry Karsian, a casting agent. Tara Karsian, her other daughter, posted a meme featuring a photo of Carroll on Instagram and included a heartfelt message for their late mother.
Born on May 5, 1927, in Shreveport, Louisiana, Carroll and her family moved to Los Angeles when she was young. Before going into an acting career, she enlisted in the army during World War II. Her acting career began when she secured a role in the film Hometown Girl in 1947, and her career would go on for over 70 years. She first voiced the sea witch Ursula in 1989 in The Little Mermaid, and she would go on to lend her voice as Ursula in other media, including the Kingdom Hearts series, the 1993 Little Mermaid series, as well as at Disney theme park attractions.
Carroll is survived by her two daughters, Tara and Kerry, and her granddaughter Evan Karsian-McCormick.
Other POP! stories you might like:
Lin-Manuel Miranda didn’t write new songs for Sebastian in ‘Little Mermaid’
‘Little Mermaid’ Halle Bailey sings at Disney World’s 50th anniversary