Actress and voice actress Arleen Sorkin has passed away suddenly at the age of 67.
The American comedian and TV presenter was best known for her role as Calliope Jones on the NBC daytime show Days of Our Lives and for being the original voice of Harley Quinn.
The sad news of her passing was confirmed by Neil Kaplan who shared a throwback snap of the actress along with a picture of the original Harley Quinn animation.
“It broke my heart to hear… the original voice of Harley Quinn, Arlene Sorkin has passed away. I adored her work as HQ & as Calliope in Days of Our Lives,” he wrote.
Soon enough, hundreds of well-wishers spoke out to pay tribute to the amazing actress with a long and successful career.
“Rest in Peace, Arleen Sorkin, the incredibly talented original voice of Harley Quinn, who helped to create the character so many of us love. Love to her family and friends,” filmmaker James Gunn tweeted.
“Kevin Conroy and Arleen Sorkin. Legends that gave iconic voices for a generation of people who loved Batman and gave Harley Quinn life in her first introduction to The Dark Knight mythos,” another fan gushed.
A third wrote: “I’m very sad to post that Arleen Sorkin has passed away at the age of 67… The original voice and real-life inspiration for Harley Quinn. Thank you for everything, Arleen. You will greatly be missed. Thank you for being our Harley Quinn.”
Besides her work on several animated shows including Batman: The Animated Series, Sorkin also made recurring appearances on Days of Our Lives between 1984 and 2010. For her performance, she received two Daytime Emmy Award nominations and four Soap Opera Digest Awards.
Her other significant achievements include her acting credits for her role as Geneva in the Fox series Duet and her role as the co-host for America’s Funniest People. Sorkin also co-wrote the 1997 Picture Perfect screenplay which starred Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Bacon, and Jay Mohr.
Our thoughts remain with Arleen’s loved ones during this challenging time.