Linda Barker Laundra, best known for producing and directing hundreds of hours of daytime television, including “All My Children,” “Another World” and “Guiding Light,” has died. She was 79 years old.
“So very sorry to report that Linda died at home Friday afternoon [January 17] at 3:15,” shared Laundra’s husband, David, in a post on Facebook. “I was holding her hand when she took her last breath. No more pain. At peace now and forever more.”
Last February, Laundra was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, most commonly known as bile duct cancer or liver cancer, which is a rare but aggressive type of cancer that forms in the bile ducts. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it often impacts adults in their 70s and generally spreads beyond the bile ducts by the time healthcare providers diagnose it.
Laundra’s husband previously revealed that his wife had been placed in Home Hospice Care after having undergone months of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation treatments, while also participating in a drug trial, all of which proved unsuccessful.
Before Laundra’s passing, a GoFundMe had been created to help cover the costs of her end-of-life care. Following her death, organizer Irene Burns updated the page, noting “David Laundra is so very grateful for your support. This fund is helping to lift a great burden from his shoulders.”
At press time, just over $22,000 had been raised out of the $48,000 goal set with 105 donors.
Born September 28, 1945 in Monroe Michigan, Laundra served as Artistic Director of the Writers Theatre, a theatre company she co-founded with her husband in New York. Some of their directing and producing credits include such plays as “The Gospel According to Mark Twain,” “My Own Stranger,” “The Overcoat,” “Anna, The Gypsy Swede,” “Resistance,” “and “The Day Jack London Got Pinched,” among others.
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Outside of the theatre, Linda’s career expanded when she took on producing and directing work for soap operas “Guiding Light,” “Another World” and “All My Children,” as well as the primetime drama “Homicide: Life on the Street.” Her credits also include the short film “Jean,” an adaptation based on the final chapter of Mark Twain’s autobiography, and “Minds Apart,” a short film based on works by Anne Sexton, which Laundra co-directed alongside her husband with contributions from their New York University film students.
In 1995, Laundra received her first Daytime Emmy Award nomination as part of the directing team at “Another World.” Two years later, she received a nomination as a producer for “All My Children,” which had been nominated for Outstanding Drama Series.
In 2017, Linda and David sat for an interview with Primary Stages, an off-broadway non-profit dedicated to inspiring, supporting, and sharing the art of playwriting as part of the organization’s oral history project.
Check out clips from their interview below.
Linda Laundra is survived by her husband, David, along with several family members including nieces Tammela Houser Gerber and Dixie Arnold, and nephew Paul Hinkley, among others.