Last night’s episode of Superstore on NBC paid a touching tribute to actress Linda Porter, who died last month. The tribute was a memorial that featured at the end of the show (Season 5, Episode 2, titled Testimonials).
The tribute read: In Loving Memory of Linda Porter.
Porter died on Wednesday, September 25, at the age of 86, following a prolonged battle with cancer.
“Linda wasn’t just hilarious; she was incredibly sweet, energetic and enthusiastic — working with her brightened everyone’s day,” executive producers Gabe Miller and Jonathan Green wrote in a statement released following news of the actress’s death. “We’re lucky to have been a small part of her long career. The Superstore family won’t be the same without her.”
Fans and colleagues have also been paying tribute on Twitter:
Here’s hoping the angels don’t call cut right away because your best stuff always came at the end. We’ll miss you Linda Porter. pic.twitter.com/bcdkZtUnXq
— Ben Feldman (@WhosBenFeldman) September 27, 2019
We lost a good one. R.I.P. Linda Porter, who was always smiling and always brightened up the Superstore set. This is a hard one. You will be missed. pic.twitter.com/qfHT5DrG2i
— Danny Gura (@DannyGura) September 27, 2019
RIP Linda Porter. A true delight of a person who was up for anything. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/BXKogjlOnw
— Vanessa Ramos (@thatRamosgirl) September 27, 2019
A sad day…goodbye Linda Porter. #MrJackpots and your #TwinPeaks family will miss you. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/34GBEOaxV4
— Kyle MacLachlan (@Kyle_MacLachlan) September 29, 2019
RIP Linda Porter, a wonderful actress and a lovely person pic.twitter.com/Mti5yAFsvI
— Owen Ellickson (@onlxn) September 27, 2019
So sad to hear of the passing of Linda Porter?Myrtle will always live on in our Superstore?#Superstore pic.twitter.com/KUsb0KtjpV
— ryan (@ryanijwilliams) September 27, 2019
We are sad, Fran. Just learned that Linda Porter, who played Fran Weston on Gilmore Girls, (she's also Rune's mother IRL) passed away today at 86. ?
RIP to a Stars Hollow favorite. ? pic.twitter.com/gHutkMb5Cm
— Kristi Carlson (@malibukristi) September 28, 2019
Porter played Myrtle Vartanian on Superstore
Superstore fans already know Porter as the actress who played the recurring role of Myrtle Vartanian in Seasons 1-4 of Superstore. She last appeared on the show as Myrtle in the Season 4 finale.
However, many fans who wanted to find out more about the actress searched online for information about her. If you saw the memorial and also wanted to know who Linda Porter was, here is everything you need to know.
Who was Linda Porter?
Linda Porter was born on January 31, 1933, in Cleveland, Ohio. She died on September 25, 2019.
Porter appeared in many ads, music videos, TV shows, and films, but she is probably best known for her role as Cloud 9 employee Myrtle Vartanian in Superstore. Myrtle was laid off in Season 3, but she returned to the show as assistant to the new manager Amy Sosa (America Ferrera).
Deadline reported that Porter had not filmed any Season 5 episode before she died. She last appeared in the Season 4 finale, which aired on May 16, 2019.
She appeared on many TV shows over the course of her career spanning about three decades.
She appeared as Fran Westin in Gilmore Girls and Gertie Grossman in That’s So Raven. In 2017, she appeared as “Lady Slot-Addict” in three episodes of Showtime’s Twin Peaks revival, created by David Lynch and Mark Frost.
Her film credits include Ella in Becoming Rebecca (1996), Mrs Boman in Tumbleweeds (1999), Alice in Stanely’s Gig (2000), and Mrs. Crabbleman in Dude, Where’s My Car? (2000).