Tanya Roberts dies day after premature death announcement; cause of death revealed

Former Bond girl Tanya Roberts died on Monday night at the age of 65, a day after she was prematurely declared dead. She was in the hospital since Christmas Eve when she had collapsed following a walk with her dogs.

The actress's publicist, Mike Pingel, recently confirmed the cause of her death, telling People magazine that she died from a urinary tract infection. Pingel revealed that the UTI had spread to her kidney, gallblader, liver, and then blood stream.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Pingel said: "With a heavy heart I can confirm the death of Tanya Roberts last night on January 4, 2021 around 9:30pm PT at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA."

Pingel also noted that the actress, real name Victoria Leigh Blum, was an animal rights activist. Therefore, her family is asking for donations to be given in her name to the ASPCA in lieu of flowers.

"An online memorial for Tanya Roberts will be announced shortly. The family asks for privacy as they mourn her death," he added.

The announcement came a day after the "That 70's show" star was prematurely declared dead. Lance O'Brien, her partner of 18 years, believed her to have died on Sunday and it was only during an interview on Monday that he got a call from the hospital clarifying she is still alive.

Roberts's publicist, who has also been a friend of hers for several years, had remembered the late star as the "sweetest person" during the initial report of her death, which later turned out to be false. He had told The Hollywood Reporter: "I'm devastated. She was brilliant and beautiful and I feel like a light has been taken away. To say she was an angel would be at the top of the list."

"She was the sweetest person you'd ever meet and had a huge heart. She loved her fans, and I don't think she realized how much she meant to them," he added.

Meanwhile, O'Brien told Inside Edition about what he had thought were his final moments with the actress. "When she saw me and I was there, I saw her eyes open. I felt good. I said, 'Hey, her eyes are opening. Her eyes are opening.' They told me that's just a reflex," he recalled.