'Willy Wonka' Fans Flood Social Media With Sweet Tributes to Diana Sowle

Diana Sowle fans are taking to social media to mourn the loss of the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate [...]

By Libby Birk

Diana Sowle fans are taking to social media to mourn the loss of the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory actress after her representative confirmed her death.

Sowle, who played Charlie Bucket's mother in the classic film, reportedly died in the early hours of Friday morning with "family by her side."

"Just chip off a bit more of my childhood there. RIP Diana Sowle!" one fan wrote.

Others commented on her memorable performance of "Cheer Up Charlie" in the 1971 movie.

"Aww her singing 'Cheer Up Charlie' will always be one of the best movie moments," one person wrote.

"Awwwe. Cheer up Charlie ... May she Rest In Peace," someone else wrote.

Rick Hammerly, who acted with Sowle in the long-running murder mystery play Shear Madness, wrote multiple tributes to the 88-year-old.

"We've lost a truly lovely woman, actress DIANA SOWLE. Millions knew her as Mrs. Bucket in WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (1971). I knew her as a friend & the nicest Mrs. Schubert ever. May you continue singing 'Cheer up, Charlie' for many years to come," Hammerly wrote.

"RIP DIANA SOWLE," Hammerly said in another post. "You were a dear friend, the nicest Mrs. Schubert ever, & the woman who showed up 24 hours late to my Xmas party in 1995 to drop off a Christmas ornament. It has been on my tree every Xmas since. This year will be no exception. Love you, sweet lady."

Sowle's representative confirmed to BBC News that Sowle died, saying in a statement: "She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend, and will be dearly missed."

A cause of death has not been announced for the actress, who appeared in just two other movies: Clear and Present Danger and Guarding Tess, both released in 1994. She also voiced Agatha in the 2008 video game, Fallout 3.

Sowle was reportedly the last living actor who played a parent in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which was an adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Gene Wilder, who played Willy Wonka, died in 2016 after complications from Alzheimer's disease.

After Wilder's death, Sowle had only kind things to say about him and their time together on set.

"We'd be working on a scene and having a lunch break and he would be coming in to film another scene, and he would join us on a lunch break and we'd have lunch," she once said. "He was so nice, he never acted like 'Oh I'm a bigger star than the rest of you', he was always friendly and courteous and funny and told nice stories."

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