Shelley Smith, supermodel-turned actor, dead at 70

Shelley Smith, a supermodel-turned-actor known for her role alongside Martin Short in the sitcom “The Associates,” has died at the age of 70.

Smith died on Aug. 8 at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital after going into a coma caused by cardiac arrest, her husband Michael Maguire confirmed in a Facebook video.

“Shelley lived an incredible life! We are all heartbroken, but we are also so fortunate to have been touched by this beautiful, intelligent, compassionate and incredible soul,” an emotional Maguire said as he held back tears. 

“Life is so short. Make every second count and fill every second with love.”

Smith was born Oct. 25, 1952, in Princeton, New Jersey, and graduated from Connecticut College.

She launched her career as a model in the early 1970s, landing the cover of Harper’s Bazaar and getting features in Vogue, Mademoiselle and Glamour magazine, according to Variety.

She made her small-screen debut in 1979 as a quick-witted Wall Street law clerk on the short-lived TV sitcom “The Associates” with Short, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Alley Mills.

The blonde 5’9” actress starred as Capt. Carolyn Engel in NBC’s 1983 military drama “For Love and Honor,” alongside Keenen Ivory Wayans and Yaphet Kotto. She made several guest appearances on a number of other shows, like “The Love Boat” and “Murder She Wrote.”

Smith was also a familiar face on a slew of celebrity game shows over the years, including “Super Password,” “Body Language” and Dick Clark’s “$10,000 Pyramid.”

Later in life, she became an outspoken advocate for women struggling with fertility issues.

Smith founded The Egg Donor Program in 1991 after having twins, Nicky and Miranda, through in vitro fertilization after battling her own fertility issues. She sold the company, now known as Hatch Fertility, a few years ago. Her husband said she helped thousands of women with their pregnancies.

“She loved helping people. Most of all, she helped me. She made me a much better person than I ever would have been. We had a great marriage,” Maguire said.

“I don’t know how to go on without her. But I know that we had an incredible relationship, and it was as pure as anything could be.”