Actress Cindyana Santangelo, known for her roles in Married...With Children and ER, died at age 58. Emergency services rushed to her Malibu home on Monday after a call came in around 7:15 p.m., the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department reported. Santangelo reached the hospital quickly but was pronounced dead, according to TMZ.
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Investigators noted she had recently received cosmetic shots at home. The LASD launched a probe into her death and awaits autopsy results. Authorities suspect no foul play at this stage.
Santangelo burst onto the entertainment scene in 1989, appearing in Young MC's "Bust a Move" music video. She followed up in 1990, lending her voice to the opening of Jane's Addiction's "Stop." Perry Farrell, the band's frontman, dubbed her "the Latin Marilyn Monroe" in a Spin Magazine interview.
Her career soon shifted to television. She landed the role of Sierra Madre on Married...With Children. Later, she appeared in CSI: Miami and ER. Santangelo debuted on the big screen in 1990, portraying a corpse named Lydia in The Adventures of Ford Fairlane.
Remembering Santangelo
In 2003, she starred alongside Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett in the comedy Homicide. The Manhattan-born actress moved to the West Coast as a child. She earned a scholarship to London's Lee Strasberg School at 19, according to her iMDB profile. She also studied at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and USC's School of Cinema and Television.
Santangelo celebrated her son Dante's 20th birthday last month with an Instagram post. "These to [sic] Goonies mean everything so amazing young Men sweethearts smart & Gorgeous," she captioned a photo of her two sons. The post highlighted her devotion as a mother.
News of her death sparked an outpouring of grief online. Fans and loved ones shared tributes across social media. One longtime friend posted a heartfelt message on Instagram. "My heart aches as I write this. I'm still in shock and disbelief. How can you be gone???" the friend wrote. She described Santangelo as her "best friend, my wifey, my kindred spirit" and "the most gorgeous mermaid in human form."
The friend vowed to feel Santangelo's presence in nature. "Every crashing wave, every salty breeze, and every shimmering reflection of the sun on the ocean's surface" would remind her of the actress, she added. Santangelo's legacy lives on through her work and the lives she touched.
