Tanya Roberts’ Partner Says She Died Last Night And Explains The Previous Mix-Up

TMZ reports that Tanya Roberts has died. But unlike the last time her death was reported, sadly this latest report appears to be definitive. As we know, yesterday, Tanya’s partner/possible husband/definite “him?” Lance O’Brien, created a Schrodinger’s Angel scenario fit for #thesecontinuedtryingtimes (2020 was chaotic but I have a feeling it’s still with us, holding 2021’s beer) by reporting that Tanya had died before receiving a phone call from the hospital in the middle of a live interview with Inside Edition (in front of a makeshift green-screen no less) telling him she was still alive.

As it turns out, Lance left Tanya’s bedside at the hospital on Sunday without speaking to medical staff, and told Tanya’s rep Mike Pingel, who had come to pick him up, that she “died in my arms,” when what she really did was get a little extra beauty sleep before ultimately attending the big disco in the sky. But again, we’ll have to take Lance’s word for it. TMZ reports:

Tanya Roberts died Monday night at L.A.’s Cedars-Sinai Hospital following a bizarre turn of events that included her domestic partner incorrectly telling her rep she had died the day before.

Her partner, Lance O’Brien, tells TMZ … he got a call from one of Tanya’s doctor’s Monday night, just after 9 PM, telling him Tanya had passed.

As you’ve probably heard by now, Lance told her publicist on Sunday Tanya was dead. He tried explaining his mistake Monday, telling us he had visited her in the hospital Sunday, and she suddenly opened her eyes but then shut them and he saw her fade away.

He says he thought she was dead and left, without speaking to medical staff. He got a phone call Monday from Cedars, informing him Tanya was still alive. Tanya’s rep, who picked Lance up from the hospital, says he told him, “She died in my arms.”

Considering that Tanya actually had representation, it’s kind of peculiar that Lance has found himself juggling multiple media requests. But Lance offered The Post some additional color commentary on Tanya’s final day(s). via Page Six.

Tanya Roberts’ longtime partner explained to The Post on Monday how the former Bond girl was mistakenly reported dead by her publicist.

Lance O’Brien, 62, said the mix-up occurred during a conversation he had with the actress’ rep, Mike Pingel, on Sunday — in which O’Brien said he was “blubbering” after an “end of life” visit with Roberts at the hospital.

“[Pingel] goes, ‘What happened?’ And I say, ‘I just said goodbye to Tanya, and I got to see her beautiful eyes one last time.’ And after that, I’m just blubbering,” O’Brien recalled.

“Next thing I know, TMZ, OMG, is on my cellphone.”

OMG, TMZ?! You don’t say? Right there on your cellular phone? Will wonders never cease? Lance continued:

O’Brien, her partner of 15 years, said he got a call from the hospital Sunday saying he’d been cleared for a visit because Roberts was about to die.

“As soon as I touch her, she opens her eyes, and I can see she’s trying to come back to life. And I go, ‘She’s looking great,’” he recalled.

However, after a hospital worker apparently told him that Roberts opening her eyes was “just a reflex,” O’Brien told The Post he said his final goodbye.

“For all intents and purposes, she was gone,’’ O’Brien said. “She’s been out of it the last three days.’’

I guess Lance has never seen The Princess Bride otherwise he’d know that mostly dead and actually dead are two totally different states of being. Lance also told The Post a little more about what sent Tanya to the hospital in the first place.

Doctors said Roberts “had a urinary tract infection that got out of control” and her condition was compounded by her having hepatitis C when she was younger, O’Brien said.

The actress — also known for her role on the hit sitcom “That ’70s Show” — began having trouble breathing and intestinal issues on Dec. 23 after going for a hike around their home on Mulholland Drive near Laurel Canyon, O’Brien said. Then, at 4 a.m. the next day, she suddenly fell out of bed and couldn’t get up and was taken to the hospital.

“Next thing I know, 48 hours later, she’s in intensive care on oxygen,” O’Brien said. “What happened was her kidneys degraded, her liver degraded, then her gall bladder degraded, then she got a blood infection in her entire body.’” “Her biggest fear was being locked up in a hospital,” he added.

Fortunately, Lance’s media antics of late do nothing to diminish the loss or our appreciation of Tanya’s legacy. We need all the glamour we can get these days, and Tanya’s untimely departure leaves us bereft.

Pic: Wenn.com