Pamela Blair, who originated the role of Val within the musical “A Chorus Line,” has died. She was 73.
Blair died Sunday at home in Phoenix, Arizona, following a lengthy illness, Deadline reported.
Family and friends took to social media to mourn the “All My Children” actress, with Blair’s “Chorus Line” co-star Baayork Lee writing: “I’m very sad to say my Sagittarian sister Pam Blair has gone to play together with her [‘A Chorus Line’] colleagues among the many clouds.”
In a Facebook post, Lee — who shared a birthday with Blair — continued that the pair “all the time wrote to 1 one other regardless of where we were on that day.”
Lee recalled Blair bringing the “house down every night” together with her performance of “Dance: Ten, Looks: Three” from “Chorus Line.”
“You’re free now Pammie so dance, dance, dance amongst the celebrities,” Lee concluded her post.
Born in Vermont on Dec. 5, 1949, Blair began her profession as a stage actress and dancer. She made her Broadway debut in 1968’s “Guarantees, Guarantees.”
She continued playing ensemble parts on Broadway shows including “Sugar” and “Seesaw,” before landing the one female role in “Of Mice and Men,” as Curley’s wife, in 1974.
Blair was best known for enjoying the unique Val in “A Chorus Line,” a task she helped develop in 1974 after being asked to take part in workshops.
Her character, Valerie Clarke, was loosely based on her own life, though Val’s love of cosmetic surgery got here from one other dancer.
She famously sings “Dance: Ten, Looks: Three” concerning the value of surgical enhancement.
Blair married actor and TV director Don Scardino in 1984. The couple divorced in 1991.
“We’re saddened to listen to that Pamela Blair, the unique ‘Val’ in A Chorus Line, has passed away,” the official account of the late “Chorus Line” composer Marvin Hamlisch tweeted, adding that she was “a component of the musical from the very first workshop.”
“Our thoughts are together with her family members and fans,” the tweet read.
Blair featured in TV shows corresponding to “Ryan’s Hope,” “Loving, One other World,” and “Sabrina The Teenage Witch.”
She received a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1987 for her guest appearance on “All My Children.”
Her film credits include “Mighty Aphrodite,” directed and written by Woody Allen, “Annie,” and “21 Grams.”
