Mourning for Susan Buckner
“Grease” actress dies at the age of 72
US actress Susan Buckner, pictured here in 1981, is dead.
© ddp/United Artists/Courtesy Everett
Mourning for Susan Buckner: The US actress best known for “Grease” has died at the age of 72.
The US actress Susan Buckner (1953-2024) has died at the age of 72. A spokesperson for her family reported the death of the former “Grease” actress confirmed to People magazine. “Susan passed away peacefully on May 2nd surrounded by her loved ones,” the statement said. A cause of death was not given.
“She was magical”
“The light that she brought into every room will be forever missed. She was magical and I was lucky enough to call her my best friend,” Buckner’s daughter Samantha Mansfield told People. Former beauty queen Buckner, who was crowned “Miss Washington” in 1971, began her career in US show business in the mid-1970s. She was seen in television series such as “Starsky & Hutch” and “Nancy Drew Mysteries”.
In 1978, she played the role of a lifetime as hot-tempered cheerleader Patty Simcox in Grease. Here she was a friend and fellow cheerleader of Olivia Newton-Johns (1948-2022) Sandy. The musical film, in which John Travolta (70) also appeared, is still very popular to this day.
After further appearances in productions such as “Love Boat” and the horror film “Doomed to Death”, Buckner turned away from acting and concentrated entirely on raising her two children. Her last appearance in front of the camera dates back to 1989.