Desperate Housewives star Kathryn Joosten dies aged 72

The actress Kathryn Joosten, best known for playing nosey neighbour Karen McCluskey on the hit US show Desperate Housewives, has died aged 72 after a long battle with lung cancer.

Joosten, who had battled lung cancer for 11 years, died Saturday at her home in Los Angeles, her publicist Nadine Jolson said.

The actress won two Emmy awards for “Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy” for her portrayal of Mrs McCluskey, the lovable pensioner who kept a close eye on her Wisteria Lane neighbours in Desperate Housewives.

Desperate Housewives ended its run on ABC last month with a serie’s finale in which Joosten’s character passed away. Her character’s battle with cancer was also a storyline in the show; you can watch Joosten’s career in video here.

Joosten also appeared on NBC’s The West Wing as Mrs Landingham, the president’s trusted secretary. Over the years, she had roles in a number of other popular shows, including a recurring part on Dharma and Greg and guest spots on shows including Ally McBeal. One of her more memorable guest appearances was as a patient of comedy show Scrubs.

According to the BBC, Joosten’s family said in a statement that the actress was “surrounded by love and humour ’til the end,” adding: “We are laughing through our tears.”

Joosten’s Desperate Housewives co-stars expressed their condolences on Twitter.

“Rest in peace, she was an amazing woman and a wonderful actress,” Felicity Huffman tweeted. Brenda Strong said in a tweet: “Wisteria Lane won’t be the same without you.”

Active in animal rights causes, she appeared with other celebrities at a 2008 news conference in Los Angeles to ask the city to abandon a project for a 40-million dollar (£26 million) elephants’ enclosure at the Los Angeles Zoo.

 Zanib Asghar

Watch her last interview with PopStop TV here