Arleen Sorkin, star of “Days of Our Lives” and voice of Harley Quinn from DC comics, passed away this week at age 67. Her death was confirmed by a representative of her husband, Michael Lloyd, a co-creator of the hit show “Modern Family.”
Sorkin had been fighting a years-long battle against multiple sclerosis according to the representative, who had this to say to Entertainment Weeklyhttps://ew.com/celebrity/arleen-sorkin-dead-days-of-our-lives-harley-quinn-voice-actress/. “We will always remember our dear Arleen for her immense generosity of spirit.”
The statement goes on to describe Sorkin, saying, “Talented, yes, and dogged, too, as evidenced by her tenacious, decades-long fight with a terrible disease. But more than that, she was a loving presence in the lives of her two boys, Eli and Owen; her mother, Joyce; her brothers, Robert and Arthur; and the countless other children, old and young, whom she took under her beautiful wing over the years.”
The family managed to keep a positive mindset toward the passing of Arleen, saying that despite the sadness surrounding the recent event, there is a joy that Sorkin’s memory is being celebrated one last time. The statement adds, “It’s a sad day for us, but a joyous one, too, knowing how many people today are summoning her memory and smiling.”
Star Wars legend Mark Hamill sent a Tweet out to commemorate the life of Sorkin, saying, “Devastated to learn we’ve lost the brilliant Arleen Sorkin. Not just a wonderful talent, but a truly wonderful person. I’m grateful not only to have worked with her, but to have been her friend. Sending my heartfelt condolences to her family & loved ones.”
Hollywood is surely rattled from the passing of one the greats of sitcom television. The “Days of Our Lives” star was a mainstay in television sets all over the nation and helped to propel evening tv into the level of popularity that it now possesses.
Sorkin also played the role of Harley Quinn, the famous character from the city of Arkham in the Batman series of the DC Universe. Paul Dini, the creator of the character, noted that he took direct inspiration for the real life version of Arleen Sorkin to create the fictional character in the show.
In a separate interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said of Sorkin, “She is a very funny talent, kind of a live wire. She can do that snappy blonde Judy Holliday persona very easily, and that was part of her performance style when I came up with the character.”
He continued, “With Harley, thinking about that character, I was like, ‘Gosh, she sounds like Arleen.’ Around that time she had appeared as a wacky jester on Days of Our Lives in a costume series. She was wearing this Pied Piper outfit, and I was like, ‘Well, there she is. She should run around with the Joker dressed like that.'”
Sorkin will be sorely missed by her family, fans, and former colleagues, but her memory will live on far longer than she ever could in the character and shows that she made.
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