Grease Star Susan Buckner Has Died, Aged 72

Grease star Susan Buckner has died at the age of 72.

Susan was best known to fans of the much-loved movie musical for her performance as high school cheerleader Patty Simcox, an early friend of Olivia Newton-John’s character Sandy.

A publicist for the late actor confirmed to People that she died “peacefully” on Thursday 2 May “surrounded by loved ones”.

Her daughter Samantha Mansfield also told the US magazine: “The light she brought into every room will be missed forever. She was magic, and I was very lucky to call her my best friend.”

No cause of death was given in Susan’s family’s statement.

Susan Buckner at a Grease celebration event in 2006
Susan Buckner at a Grease celebration event in 2006

David Livingston via Getty Images

Before landing the role of enthusiastic cheerleader Patty Simcox in Grease, Susan was a beauty pageant winner, taking the title of Miss Washington before going on to compete in Miss America in 1972.

She went on to appear as Krofftette in a string of episodes of The Brady Bunch Hour, as well as the hit 70s shows The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Starsky & Hutch and The Love Boat.

Following this, she landed the role in the hit film adaptation of Grease, sharing scenes with John Travolta, Stockard Channing and the late Olivia Newton-John.

Susan on the set of Grease with co-stars Didi Conn and Stockard Channing
Susan on the set of Grease with co-stars Didi Conn and Stockard Channing

CBS Photo Archive via Getty Images

Susan later went on to appear in the 1981 Wes Craven slasher Deadly Blessing and the sixth instalment in the Police Academy film franchise, after which People reported that she stepped back from the entertainment industry to focus on raising her family.

Per Sky News, Susan is survived by her son and daughter, Adam and Samantha, grandchildren Oliver, Riley, Abigail and Ruby as well as her sister Linda, daughter-in-law Noel Josephs, son-in-law Adam Mansfield and longtime partner Al.

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The Fall Guy Comes Under Fire Over Joke About Amber Heard And Johnny Depp

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A new hilarious, hard-driving, all-star apex-action thriller and love letter to action movies and the hard-working and under-appreciated crew of people who make them: The Fall Guy. \n\nOscar® nominee Ryan Gosling (Barbie, La La Land, Drive) stars as Colt Seavers, a battle-scarred stuntman who, having left the business a year earlier to focus on both his physical and mental health, is drafted back into service when the star of a mega-budget studio movie—being directed by his ex, Jody Moreno, played by Golden Globe winner Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer, A Quiet Place films, Sicario)—goes missing.\n\nWhile the film’s ruthless producer (Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham; Ted Lasso), maneuvers to keep the disappearance of star Tom Ryder (Golden Globe winner Aaron Taylor-Johnson; Bullet Train) a secret from the studio and the media, Colt performs the film’s most outrageous stunts while trying (with limited success) to charm his way back into Jody’s good graces. 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Well, that didn’t land.

The Fall Guy is hitting cinemas this weekend, but some people who got to preview the film aren’t impressed with a joke that references Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s relationship.

In the stunt actor-inspired action-comedy, Hannah Waddingham’s producer character walks into a messy trailer, where she tells Emily Blunt, playing a director: “It’s like Amber and Johnny were just in here.”

The scene didn’t sit right with many people online, who thought the “distasteful” and “cheap” line made light of domestic violence.

Others posted that they had been excited to see the movie before hearing about the off-colour joke.

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard attend the 2016 Grammy Awards. A joke about their rocky relationship is at the center of a minor controversy.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard attend the 2016 Grammy Awards. A joke about their rocky relationship is at the center of a minor controversy.

John Shearer via Getty Images

Heard and Depp married in 2015 but split just 15 months later.

Details about the pair’s tumultuous relationship would become public years later, when Depp sued Heard for defamation after she called herself a “a public figure representing domestic abuse” in a 2018 op-ed for the Washington Post.

An intense court battle ensued, in which both actors accused each other of abuse. In the end, a jury ruled in Depp’s favour and ordered Heard to pay him millions in damages.

HuffPost has reached out to the distributor of The Fall Guy, Universal Pictures, for comment.

See some reactions here:

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