Hoosier native Florence Henderson dies at age 82

LOS ANGELES (WTHR) – Florence Henderson, the "Brady Bunch" Mom, Hoosier native, and Indianapolis 500 singer, has died. She was 82 writes Carlos Diaz of WTHR.

She died surrounded by family and friends, her manager, Kayla Pressman, said in a statement late Thursday.

Henderson, a native of Dale, Indiana, was well known in Indiana for singing "America the Beautiful" and "God Bless America" at the Indianapolis 500. She was the Grand Marshal of 2016's 100th Running of the race.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway shared a statement on her passing Friday morning:

"Florence Henderson had an amazing impact on generations of Americans through her platform as an actress and an even more profound impact on Indianapolis Motor Speedway fans through her passion for and contribution to those special moments leading up the command to start engines at the Indianapolis 500. Our fans looked forward to seeing her on Race Day each year and her pre-race involvement became one of the expected annual traditions that makes the Indianapolis 500 so powerful. This past year, we were pleased to have honored her as the Grand Marshall for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500. More importantly, Florence Henderson was a treasured friend of the Hulman-George family for many years and the bond between them was as strong as family. We thank her for her friendship and love for our sport and her friends and family will be in our prayers. She was a lovely lady and she will be missed."

IMS President Doug Boles tweeted that Indy 500 fans everywhere will miss her:

Social Media Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com