Family members of actress Marilyn Burns have revealed that she has passed away at the age of 65. Cause of death is unknown, but she was found unresponsive in her Houston home yesterday.
Burns gained genre recognition and solidified her place as one of the ultimate “final girls” in Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, a film celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. In that film, she played Sally Hardesty, a young woman who contends with Leatherface and his warped family.
Burns went on to appear in Hooper’s Eaten Alive, Future Kill and Butcher Boys.
Her ‘saw legacy never quite ended with Hooper’s first film. She later popped up in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation as well as Texas Chainsaw 3D. It was on that latter film that I got to meet Burns – outside of her convention appearances – and spend some time talking with her about her time on the original film. She was an absolute sweetheart and will be missed.
