Carol Duvall, the “Queen of Crafts” and one of HGTV’s original stars, has died.
She was 97.
Duvall — who became nationally recognized for her arts and crafts shows on ABC and HGTV — died in Traverse City, Michigan, on July 31.
Her family confirmed her death to the New York Times on Thursday.
Carol was the host of “The Carol Duvall Show,” which ran daily on HGTV from 1994 to 2005 and then shifted to the former DIY network from 2005 to 2009.
HGTV shared a post to Instagram on Aug. 3, writing: “Our thoughts and prayers are with her family.”
Friends and family took to social media to celebrate the craft icon’s life.
“Loved her show! My deepest condolences to her family and loved ones,” wrote “Brady Bunch” star Maureen McCormick, who also appeared on several HGTV programs, in response to the post.
Cam Frierson, who worked as a producer on “The Carol Duvall Show,” posted to Facebook that there would will “never” be another “Queen of Crafts like Miss Carol,” reported the Daily Mail.
“As a former producer on this show, I know how much Carol meant to the talented and creative guests on the show, the audience who tuned in to be inspired as well as the crew who worked to bring lighthearted and informative entertainment to HGTV,” Frierson wrote.
The producer also included a statement from Duvall’s grandson.
“She was such an amazing person, who lead a full life and felt truly blessed with the friends and family she had in her life. She was a pioneer in many ways and will be missed greatly,” the post said in part. “A true force of nature. We love you so much and miss you more than I can ever say.”
Duvall’s career began in 1951 in children’s TV when she appeared on a local Michigan channel WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids.
She moved to WWJ-TV in Detroit, working there for 18 years in several anchoring and producing roles, eventually hosting her own crafting show, “Here’s Carol Duvall.”
That led to a national series, “The Home Show,” which aired on ABC from 1988 to 1994 as a precursor to her HGTV venture.
Duvall also was the author of two books, 1972’s “Wanna Make Something Out of It?” and 2007’s “Paper Crafting With Carol Duvall.”
Discussing her blossoming, unique career in 1999, she told Knight Ridder News Service of the “tremendous response” she received for being crafty on the airwaves, though she still felt she “didn’t know” what she was doing early on.
“I’m not a crafter who got on television,” she declared. “I’m a television person who got into crafting.”
Post-retirement in 2017, she reflected on how her passion for crafts became such an important focus for her — one that she later missed.
“I’d been on TV for 56 years. Now when I meet or hear of somebody with a great craft idea, I (don’t) have any place to share it!” she told the Ticker new site.
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