In a case of life imitating art, Kathryn Joosten has passed away after a long battle with lung cancer which returned in 2009.
Desperate Housewives just finished in America in which the character she portrayed in the drama series, Karen McKluskey, also died in the eight season finale packing an emotional punch and in a dramatic storyline pivotal to concluding the series' events.
Kathryn Joosten won two Emmys for her work on Desperate Housewives in 2005 and again in 2008. Her other memorable role was as Mrs. Dolores Langdingham on The West Wing.
Kathryn Joosten said in numerous interviews that Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry promised her that her character won't ever be killed off since so many of her previous characters - such as in The West Wing - died before the series finales of those shows.
