Florence Henderson was longtime pre-race Indy 500 performer

Henderson’s impact on America’s culture won’t quickly be forgotten, and she will continue to encourage and inspire children and someday-mothers alike until the world runs out of “The Brady Bunch” reruns.

Florence Henderson, best known for her role as Carol Brady, the mother in “The Brady Bunch”, has died, her manager and her publicist said Friday morning.

Her death was unexpected.

There are so many people who never met Florence but feel like she was a best friend or a mother to them.

Henderson had made some TV and movie appearances this year.

“We are all in a state of shock”, said Pressman, who spoke with the actress Wednesday night.

Family and friends had surrounded Henderson’s hospital bedside, Pressman said.

Florence Henderson, who played the cheerful mom in the 1970s sitcom The Brady Bunch, has died.

She and Reed did return, however, for “The Brady Bunch Hour, “The Brady Brides” and “The Bradys”.

In a 2011 memoir, “Life Is Not a Stage: From Broadway Baby to a Lovely Lady and Beyond”, Henderson quashed an oft-repeated rumor that she had an affair with Barry Williams, the teenage actor who played Greg on “The Brady Bunch”.

Williams says the cast has been in touch since Henderson’s sudden passing, remembering the missing part of their TV family. Her glass was always half full.

Her film appearances included “Song of Norway”, “Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult” and most recently, “Fifty Shades of Black“. But I feel like so many people, even though they didn’t, they do.

“Our fans looked forward to seeing her on Race Day each year and her pre-race involvement became one of the expected annual traditions that makes the Indianapolis 500 so powerful”.

Jan BradyEve Plumb broke from her sweet image immediately after “The Brady Bunch” ended by starring as a 15-year-old prostitute in “Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway” in 1976. “That’s the question I’m asked the most – ‘Can I have a hug?’ Well, yeah!” she said. “She appreciated everything that came her way because she had to sing for her supper and she worked hard”, she said. Her voice carried her to a successful Broadway career, and eventually she began landing high-profile television gigs.

Becoming something of a media personality beyond the realm of acting, she had also served as a host of the “Today” show, in a position started in 1959, where she would talk to audiences about fashion and the weather.

The eight of them became The Brady Bunch with a quirky housekeeper, played by Ann B. Davis, thrown into the mix.

Henderson is survived by her children Barbara, Joseph, Robert, Lizzie and their respective spouses as well as her five grandchildren. “She was just a delightful person”, said Peggie Key of Palm Desert.