Best known for starring in The Sopranos, A League of Their Own and Damn Yankees, Allen’s manager Kyle Fritz of Kyle Fritz Management confirmed that she passed away in her sleep on Wednesday morning due to natural causes.
The Tony-winning actress hailed from Brooklyn, New York, and had a prolific acting career on stage and screen.
She was perhaps best known for playing Aunt Quintina Blundetto, the mother of Steve Buscemi’s character Tony Blundetto, in The Sopranos.
Some of Allen’s other notable roles include Ma Keller in A League of Their Own and Mrs. Sokol on the sitcom Seinfeld.
She played Gloria Thorpe in the 1955 musical Damn Yankees and went on to reprise the role in the 1958 film adaptation of the musical.
She also starred in a number of other TV shows, including All in the Family, Grey’s Anatomy, The Untouchables and Profiles in Courage, NYPD Blue and Reign Over Me.
On stage, some of Allen’s Broadway credits include And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little, Oliver!, Fiddler on the Roof and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.
Fans and well-wishers have been paying tribute to the late actress on social media today.
“Good bye teacher n friend. You lived fiercely and with a sense of humor. I once put my drink down on a coaster while visiting her and noticed it was her Tony!” tweeted actor Jonathan Del Arco. “She quipped ‘I really gotta get that thing fixed, in the meantime it’s useful don’t you think?’”
While author Benjamin Dreyer added: “Goodbye to wonderful Rae Allen.”
Allen’s manager, Kyle Fritz, also paid tribute to the “gifted” actress in a statement per The Hollywood Reporter.
“I had the pleasure of representing Rae Allen for over 20 years. She [was] one the most gifted actresses I have ever had the pleasure of working with,” he said. “I will be forever grateful to have been a part of her incredible journey.”
An account dedicated to The Sopranos also paid tribute, tweeting: “Rae played Quintina Blundetto, the sister of Livia and the mother of Tony B. She was first seen at the Airport in ‘Funhouse’ when Livia was [taken] in by the FBI. RIP Aunt Quin.”
While another fan added: “RIP Rae Allen, who died yesterday at the age of 95.”
Allen is survived by her nieces Laura and Betty Cosgrove, her adopted family, and close friends April Webster and Lisa Ann Gold, per Deadline.