What Happened to the Original ‘Mrs. Miracle’ on Hallmark?

If you’re watching “Debbie Macomber’s A Mrs. Miracle Christmas,” you might be wondering why the actress playing Mrs. Miracle has changed. What happened to the original Mrs. Miracle played by Doris Roberts? Here’s why the main character was changed.

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Doris Roberts Died in 2016

Doris Roberts, who played the original “Mrs. Miracle” on Hallmark, died in 2016. She died at the age of 90 and “died peacefully in her sleep of natural causes,” her family told Los Angeles Times. Just a month before she died, she talked to TMZ when she was going to the movies and said she wasn’t feeling great. TMZ noted that she was just as witty as ever.

At the time, a cause of death was not released. TMZ later reported that her death certificate noted that she had died of a stroke. She had suffered from hypertension prior to her stroke.

Debbie Macomber shared a tweet in tribute to Roberts after her death. She wrote: “It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to Doris Roberts, our one and only Mrs. Miracle!”

The death of the five-star Emmy winner was a blow to her friends and family. Ray Romano, who starred with her on “Everybody Loves Raymond,” said in a statement: “Doris Roberts had an energy and a spirit that amazed me. She never stopped. Whether working professionally or with her many charities, or just nurturing and mentoring a young, green comic trying to make it as an actor, she did it all with such a grand love for life and people, and I will miss her dearly.”

Her co-star Patricia Heaton tweeted about her death.

Roberts also starred on “St. Elsewhere,” “Fantasy Island,” “The Love Boat,” “Melissa & Joey,” “Merry Kissmas,” “Major Crimes,” “The 4 to 9ers: The Day Crew,” “Desperate Housewives,” “The Middle,” and more.

According to Debbie Macomber’s website, Roberts starred in “Mrs. Miracle” and “Call Me Mrs. Miracle” on Hallmark. Other works of Macomber’s that were made into Hallmark productions include “Cedar Cove,” “Trading Christmas,” “Dashing Through the Snow,” the new “A Mrs. Miracle Christmas,” and “Mr. Miracle.”

The Futon Critic reported in 2014 that when “Mr. Miracle” first released on The Hallmark Channel, there were plans to make it a backdoor pilot for a possible series.

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Caroline Rhea Takes Over the Role for the New Movie

Caroline Rhea takes over the role of “Mrs. Miracle” for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ new movie, “A Mrs. Miracle Christmas.”

Her credits include “Sydney to the Max” (Judy for 60 episodes), “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” (Hilda Spellman), “A Christmas in Tennessee,” “Bruno & Boots” (Eugenia Scrimmage), “A Very Sordid Wedding,” “2 Broke Girls,” “Phineas and Ferb” (voices), “Manhattan Love Story,” “The Christmas Consultant,” “Sordid Lives: The Series” (Noleta Nethercott), “Two Dreadful Children,” “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” (Hilda Spellman in the 1996-2003 series), “The Santa Claus Brothers,” “Pride & Joy” (Carol Green), and more. In 2002, she took over Rosie O’Donnell’s morning show, which lasted a season.

Macomber has been tweeting about the new movie.

She held a book giveaway in honor of the movie.

READ NEXT: Hallmark’s Christmas 2021 Lineup of Movies

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