Okay ILOSM fam,’ let’s see how Old School you really are. Remember the “Sanford and Son” episode when “Fred” and his friends decided live life to the fullest and invited some young ladies from ‘Magic Fingers Massage Parlor’ over for a party. The owner of the parlor, “Fast Fanny” stopped by first to discuss the specifics and when “Fred” asked “Fanny” her last name, she said “Fast, Faster, and outta sight! Yeah!” But when she returned with her girls, “Fred” and the fellas had already drank and danced themselves to sleep and “Fanny” was pissed saying “Of all the turkeys I’ve seen, these buzzards take the cake!” LOL. That episode was CLASSIC and in real life, “Fanny” a.k.a. actress, Bhetty Waldron, was a true class act.

Bhetty -who also had roles in “CSI: Miami,” “Miami Vice,” “The Jeffersons,” and “Good Times”- was 63 years young when she died. Her sister and others who knew her, had some really incredible things to say about the other line of work she chose and the woman she’d become.

CAUSE OF DEATH

Bhetty Waldron died after a tough battle with lung cancer in 2004. As far as we know, she didn’t have any children, but she helped groom so many people along the way that you could say she was like a “Mother” to many. See the remarkable things she did for a living after “Sanford and Son” below…

FROM “FAST FANNY” ON “SANFORD AND SON” TO SCHOOL TEACHER & OWNER OF HER OWN DRAMA THEATER

Bhetty was the founder of her own acting theater, Quest Theatre & Institute in West Palm Beach, that trained young children and up and coming actors how to hone their skills both in theater and on screen. She also continued acting in stage plays after her TV acting career ended. Bhetty’s theater eventually closed after nine years due to financial hardships and that’s when she found a new way to channel her passion.

Bhetty spent many years as a very well respected elementary drama school teacher with an impeccable reputation among the students and staff of U.B. Kinsey Elementary School in West Palm Beach, FL. They all spoke of how passionate Bhetty was about teaching children how to become better and she even built the school’s drama department from scratch.

The then-principal of U.B. Kinsey, Helen Byrd, stated this about Bhetty Waldron:

“I’ve never seen any other teacher like her. No matter what type of student, behaviorally-challenged, academically-challenged or average, she could inspire them to learn and perform. There are good teachers and there are great teachers. The great ones can reach them all. Bhetty was one of the great ones,” Byrd said.

Bhetty’s sister/actress, Avery Sommers (pictured below), said this:

“Bhetty was a fine dramatic actress. She knew acting inside and out and could direct and inspire people to get the best performance out of them, like she did for herself,” stated Sommers.

THEATER NAMED AFTER BHETTY WALDRON

In 2012 Bob Carter’s Actor’s Workshop & Repertory Company, Inc. In West Palm Beach, FL. dedicated a segment of their theatre to Bhetty, naming it after her to pay homage to the many contributions she gave back to the community and to the youth of Florida through her dedication to the arts.

As you can see, “Fanny” became so much more in life, long after we’d seen her in the 70’s and her role as “Fanny” as well as what she became afterwards, has left a lasting impression on the hearts of millions. Job well don Bhetty Waldron, rest on Queen.