Sad news as it was revealed last night that Mira Furlan, best known for her roles on Babylon 5 and Lost, has passed away at the age of 65. In a statement to the BBC, Furlan's family said that she had died on Wednesday due to complications with West Nile Virus. "It is with great sadness that I confirm the passing of Mira Furlan," the statement read. "She was a woman full of kindness, strength and compassion. She died peacefully at her home in Los Angeles, surrounded by her family. We will all continue to celebrate her life and legacy, and know she'll always be here with us."
Mira Furlan played Ambassador Delenn throughout all five seasons of Babylon 5 and also played Danielle Rousseau on Lost, a French scientist who became shipwrecked on the island sixteen years prior to the crash of Oceanic 815. Furlan also appeared in movies such as When Father Was Away on Business, Beauty of Vice, Three For Happiness, In the Jaws of Life, as well as TV shows like Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Night Stalker, NCIS, Law & Order: LA, and more. Furlan emigrated to the US in 1991 from the former Yugoslavia when the war broke out, and while speaking with Daily Dragon Online in 2021, Furlan said, "It was completely like starting over, as if someone had taken a big eraser and erased my life. It was a strange feeling. But at the same time, we came to New York. I've always loved New York, and I've always thought that it's like living in the world. It's the world, not just one city, but it's everything!" Furlan added that she and her husband came over with just four suitcases, and when she got an agent, one of the very first auditions she went to was for Babylon 5. "So it was kind of a miracle!," Furlan said.
Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski also reacted to the news in a statement on Twitter, saying that the Babylon 5 family had known for some time that Mira Furlan's health had been fading, and while they kept hoping she would improve, that sadly didn't happen. "Mira was a good and kind woman, a stunningly talented performer, and a friend to everyone in the cast and crew of ‘Babylon 5,’ and we are all devastated by the news," Straczynski wrote. "The cast members with whom she was especially close since the show’s end will need room to process this moment, so please be gentle if they are unresponsive for a time. We have been down this road too often, and it only gets harder." You will be missed, Mira Furlan.