"Actress Dixie Carter, 70, who used her charm and stately beauty in a host of roles on Broadway and television, died Saturday," reports AP. "Publicist Steve Rohr, who represents Carter and her husband, actor Hal Holbrook, said Carter died Saturday morning. He would not disclose where she died or the cause of death. A native of Tennessee, Carter was most famous for playing quick-witted Southerner Julia Sugarbaker for seven years on Designing Women, the CBS sitcom that ran from 1986 to 1993. She was nominated for an Emmy in 2007 for her seven-episode guest stint on the ABC hit Desperate Housewives. Carter's other credits include roles on the series Family Law and Different Strokes. She had been married to Hal Holbrook since 1984."

Hal Holbrook said in a written statement:

"This has been a terrible blow to our family. We would appreciate everyone understanding that this is a private family tragedy."

What sad news; she was always very classy and one hell of an actress. She will be missed.