ENTERTAINMENTLinda Lavin Helped Write Her Death in 'Mid-Century Modern' Before Her Own Passing
Before her death, Linda Lavin worked closely with the creators of 'Mid-Century Modern' to ensure her character’s death was portrayed honestly.
April 16 2025, Published 7:00 p.m. ET
When beloved actress Linda Lavin passed away due to lung cancer, Golden Girls-inspired Hulu series Mid-Century Modern was under production.
But before she died, Lavin wanted to make sure her character had a poignant ending, as she faced the inevitable due to her illness, creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan told TV Line.
"When she was diagnosed with [lung cancer], she was like, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to respond to this, but whatever it is, write it into the character,'" said Kohan.
The star died of lung cancer.
“Only David, Nathan [Lane], and I knew kind of what was going on, and she was very clear to the three of us that she wanted us to tell the truth. And certainly she had no idea that it was going to go to the place that it went to," Mutchnick added.
Linda portrayed Sybil Schneiderman, a nurturing mother figure to Bunny Schneiderman, played by Nathan Lane, and his close friends Arthur (Nathan Lee) and Jerry (Matt Bomer). Though she appeared in eight out of ten episodes, it was episode 9 that took viewers on an emotional rollercoaster.
Linda Lavin's character in 'Mid-Century Modern' died in the episode 'Here’s to You, Mrs. Schneiderman.'
Titled "Here’s to You, Mrs. Schneiderman," the episode began with Bunny, visibly shaken, sharing the news of his mother’s unexpected passing during a drive.
As Bunny recalled racing to the hospital, the gut-wrenching reality dawned that Sybil had already succumbed to a heart attack. The episode poignantly followed Bunny as he penned a heartfelt eulogy for his beloved mother and co-hosted her funeral alongside Arthur and Jerry.
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Max Mutchnick and David Kohan sat down with Steve Bakunas as they wrote off Linda Lavin's fictional death.
With every ounce of emotion pouring into the storyline, Mutchnick shared he and Kohan sat down with her husband, Steve Bakunas, to discuss the written script further after Lavin died.
"When it happened, that gave us the go-ahead and the comfort and the freedom as writers to sit down with Steve and say, ‘Hey, we’d like to actually write the last day the way that it happened and make that our story.’ And without skipping a beat, Steve said, ‘Of course that’s what you have to do, because that’s what Linda would want you to do,'" Mutchnick shared.
'Mid-Century Modern' is on Hulu.
Lavin's PR representative first confirmed the news on December 29, revealing she "passed unexpectedly due to complications from recently discovered lung cancer."
Just days before her passing, Linda underwent a bronchoscopy — a procedure aimed at diagnosing or treating lung conditions — revealing the desperate nature of her health struggle.
