'Melrose Place' Fans Heartbroken After Claudette Nevins Dies at 82

Melrose Place fans are in mourning following the death of actress Claudette Nevins. The prolific actress starred in 10 episodes of the long-running soap opera, which was a spin-off of Beverly Hills, 90210. She died in hospice care in Los Angeles on Feb. 20 at age 82. A cause of death was not released.

"She was a voracious reader, loved attending the theater, movies, art exhibits and generally taking in all life had to offer," her family wrote in her obituary. "Competent in everything she touched, Claudette was funny, strong-willed, awesomely disciplined, relentless in her pursuit of excellence. A staunch feminist, she also actively supported several philanthropies and kept herself and those around her on their toes about their civic and personal responsibilities to the world. Starting from very humble origins, Claudette grew herself into an elegant, articulate, gorgeous woman who was universally admired. She was dazzling. She will be endlessly missed."

Nevins was born in Pennsylvania and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. She broke through into acting on stage, appearing in The Wall with George C. Scott and Invitation to a March with Celeste Holm. She also starred in Neil Simon's Plaza Suite with Scott and Maureen Stapleton, under the direction of Mike Nichols. Nevins also took stage roles in Los Angeles productions.

In the early 1960s, Nevins began appearing on television and in movies. Her long list of credits includes episodes of JAG, Ally McBeal, Judging Amy, 7th Heaven, ER, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, L.A. Law, Dallas, One Day at a Time, M*A*S*H, Lou Grant, The F.B.I., Star Trek: Insurrection and The Possessed. She made her final appearance in a 2005 episode of Strong Medicine.

Nevins played Constance Fielding in 10 episodes of Melrose Place, between 1992 and 1998. She also starred in a 1993 episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 as Vivian Carson.

She is survived by two daughters, their husbands and grandchildren.

Scroll on to see how fans have remembered Nevins.