Ruth Buzzi, the renowned comedian and actress known for her performance in Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, died in May 2025 when she was 88. The news broke roughly a decade after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease — a progressive brain illness that affects an individual’s memory and reasoning skills, which ultimately leads to a loss of autonomy. In addition to her Alzheimer’s Disease, Buzzi had also suffered multiple strokes in 2022. But, as the legend she was, the award-winning performer always maintained her sense of humor.
Below, learn about Buzzi’s life, career and health as we look back on her comedy career.
Buzzi is famous for her role as the spinster Gladys Ormphby in Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. She would use her handbag as a lethal weapon, easily eliciting chuckles from fans. In a 2016 interview with Nick Thomas, Buzzi reflected on her iconic purse-throwing character.
I married a Texas guy in Hollywood and here we are —- 40 years later — retired on a ranch in The Lone Star State, where kids learn to write with pencils, not spray cans, and neighbors really care about one another. All I have to say is…
Yippie-tie-yi-yo! pic.twitter.com/V7DHOgmDkJ
— RUTH BUZZI (@Ruth_A_Buzzi) November 26, 2023
“So many people ask me to hit them with my purse,” Buzzi said at the time. “In fact, a few years ago we were at a Beverly Hills party and in walked Elton John. He immediately made his way over to me and said, ‘For God’s sakes, Ruth, please hit me with your purse. That’s been on my bucket list for years!’”
Buzzi died as a result of complications from Alzheimer’s Disease, her rep, Mike Eisenstadt, told The Hollywood Reporter, in May 2025.
The late Golden Globe Award winner suffered from a few health setbacks throughout her life. In 2012, Buzzi was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, which ultimately led to her death in 2025. In 2022, it was revealed that she experienced multiple strokes, which her husband, Kent Perkins, reportedly said left her “bedridden and incapacitated” at the time.
