A Christmas Story actress Melinda Dillon has died at the age of 83.
Her family confirmed the heartbreaking news of the Oscar-nominated actress in an obituary.
Melinda, who was known for her roles in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Absence of Malice, died on January 9, 2023.
The obituary simply read: "Melinda Ruth Dillon, age 83, of Los Angeles, California passed away on Monday, January 9, 2023."
Details of the service for the Los Angeles native have yet to be shared. Friends, family and fans visiting the website were encouraged to share their memories and send a gift.
The late actress was born in October 1939 in Arkansas but was raised in Alabama.
She spent four years in Germany before returning to attend Hyde Park High School and the Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Her career began as an improvisational comedian and stage actress. In 1959, she had a role in the short film, The Cry of Jazz
She got her first big role in the 1962 Broadway production of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.
Her role in the play got her a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play.
She also appeared in You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running and Paul Sill's Story Theatre.
The star's first feature film was The April Fools in 1969. She went on to work in television and even guest-starred in an episode of Bonanza.
Other notable works include Bound for Glory, in which she was nominated for a Golden Globe.
Melinda was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Absence of Malice.
She played the mother of Ralphie and Randy in Bob Clark's A Christmas Story and later starred in Harry and the Hendersons with John Lithgow.
The actress' last film was Reign Over Me in 2007 and in the television series Heartland the same year.
She is survived by her son Richard Libertini Jr.
Fans took to social media to pay tribute to the actress, with one user writing: "RIP to the legendary actress who warned a generation about the dangers of shooting their eye out, CHRISTMAS STORY and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS star Melinda Dillon."
"Goddamnit. RIP Melinda Dillon, an integral part of everyone's childhood," another said.
One user posted: "Close Encounters has been on my mind a lot lately, so maybe that's why it stung that extra little bit reading that Melinda Dillon has passed away. She was great in that film and in many others and I never heard anyone say a bad word about her. Much love to her and her family."
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