Just last night I was watching a TV commercial featuring Dixie Carter, talking to the camera about a terrible disease whose name escapes me at the moment. And tonight comes the news that Carter has passed away at the age of 70. No further details have been released yet.

Carter is probably best known for her role as feisty, outspoken (well, all of the women were pretty feisty and outspoken on that show, weren't they?) Julia Sugarbaker on 'Designing Women,' which ran on CBS for eight years. But younger TV watchers might know her from her role on 'Desperate Housewives' as Gloria, the loopy mom of Orson (she was nominated for an Emmy for the role). But she actually starred in several other TV shows over the years, including 'Family Law,' 'Ladies Man,' 'Filthy Rich,' 'Out of the Blue,' and 'On Our Own,' not to mention numerous guest roles on many other shows. Her first TV role was in the soap 'The Doctors.'

I had completely forgotten that she starred in the later seasons of 'Diff'rent Strokes,' playing Maggie, Arthur Drummond's new wife. When the show moved from NBC to ABC (for one last ill-conceived season), she couldn't do the show because of her commitment to CBS and 'Designing Women' so she was replaced by Mary Ann Mobley. I'm thinking she got the better end of the deal there. She also appeared in several Broadway productions, including 'The King and I,' 'Pal Joey,' 'Carousel,' and 'Thoroughly Modern Millie.'

Carter married actor Hal Holbrook in 1984. They appeared together in several episodes of 'Designing Women' and many other TV shows and made for TV movies. In fact, her last role was with Holbrook in the 2009 TV movie 'That Evening Sun.'

Here's a scene from 'Designing Women,' showing Julia in one of her many feisty moments.