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How did Melinda Dillon die? 'A Christmas Story' star, 83, remembered as a 'welcome presence onscreen'

Melinda Dillion's family members stated that she wanted to be cremated with her ashes dispersed in the Pacific

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Melinda Ruth Dillon, who was at the height of her career from the 1970s to the mid-2000s for her roles in 'A Christmas Story' and 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind', has died at the age of 83.

The Neptune Society of San Pedro, California claims that Dillon died on January 9, 2023. Many of Dillion's family members stated that she wanted to be cremated and for her ashes to be dispersed in the Pacific Ocean, reported Giant Freakin Robot. Neither the date of her funeral nor the cause of her passing has been made public as of yet. She had a son during her marriage to the late actor Richard Libertini, which lasted from 1963 until their divorce in 1978. Dillon, one of the most extraordinary performers, was nominated for a Tony Award and won Theatre World Award in 1963 for her Broadway debut performance as the infantile wife Honey in Edward Albee's original production of 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' She is perhaps best known for playing the mother in the beloved holiday film 'A Christmas Story'. Every year on Christmas Eve, television marathons of 'A Christmas Story' serve as a showcase for Dillon's natural ability to add humor to a family drama.

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'I had had the American dream'

Dillon was born in Hope, Arkansas, on October 13, 1939, but she moved around a lot during her childhood, spending time in Germany and Albama before settling in Chicago for her teenage years. She earned a Drama degree from the Art Institute of Chicago, and a large part of her professional career may be attributed to her time spent there.

Dillon received the chance of a lifetime at age 23 when she played in the first Broadway production of Edward Albee's now-famous play, 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?', after beginning with a modest gig in improv and progressing to larger theater plays. In an interview with the New York Times in 1976, she remarked, "I was in Virginia Woolf, and I just went crazy; it was really that simple."

Dillon stated, "I had had the American dream — to go to New York and study with Lee Strasberg. I guess I just wasn't prepared for it all to happen so quickly in New York. I'm not sophisticated; I hadn't had any kind of cultural education, at all, so when it came to meeting people, and presenting any kind of ideas I might have to offer, I would be terrified." She left the intense play after nine months and spent time in a psychiatrc hospital. 

'Melinda Dillon was such a great actress, with a wonderful delicacy about her.'

Many of Dillon's loved ones and fans have expressed their condolences. On Twitter, Barbra Streisand expressed her sympathies by stating, "Melinda Dillon was such a great actress, with a wonderful delicacy about her. She was a delight to direct in Prince of Tides. May she rest in peace."

One fan wrote, "Thinking of Savannah Wingo. Rest easy, Melinda." Another fan who listed Dillon's movie roles wrote, "She appeared in the Broadway production of 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?' I first saw her in 'Close Encounters' She was amazing in your adaption of 'Prince of Tides'. But she will be remembered forever for her sweet comic performance with Darren McGavin in 'A Christmas Story.'"

A fourth fan wrote, "Marvelous actress, even if she did use up all the glue on purpose. RIP. Fortunately, we'll always have her every year at Christmas and whenever we hear the five tones." Another adorable fan wrote, "Always a welcome presence onscreen. She always felt like a real mom, whether it was protecting her kid from aliens or from the roar of the Old Man. RIP Melinda Dillon."

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