Kathy Lamkin, actress known as Texas Chainsaw Massacre's 'Tea Lady', dies at 74 after 'short illness'

Kathy Lamkin, the actress best known for starring in Hollywood heavyweights Texas Chainsaw Massacre and No Country For Old Men, has died. She was 74.

According to her family, who spoke with Deadline, Lamkin passed away after a "short illness." The illness has not been specified.

"Kathy will be missed by her family and friends and left an impact on all she that encountered during her life on this Earth," her family told the publication.

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Born on December 10, 1947 and raised in the Texas town of Graham, Lamkin joined a travelling theatre company prior to moving to the big screen.

In the 1990s, she appeared in a number of television shows and films, including Miller & Mueller (1991 —) and Fool's Gold (1999).

Her chilling performance as The Tea Lady, however, in the 2003 remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre truly projected her into worldwide fame.

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Three years later, the actress starred in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre prequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006), and following that, landed a role in No Country for Old Men (2007) as Desert Aire's trailer park manager, a performance that saw her nab a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Lamkin has 46 film and television project credits to her name across her 24-year acting career, which started in 1990 when she was aged 43.

Lamkin is also known for her roles in The Heartbreak Kid, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Astronaut Farmer and In the Valley of Elah.

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In addition to her on-screen achievements, Lamkin taught theatre arts in Houston at Codwell Elementary School, and later created and ran the Unicorn School of Acting and USA Theatre.

From 2002, Lamkin commuted between Houston and Los Angeles to further her screen career.

Lamkin's parents, her brothers Jerry and Donald and her sisters Jeannie Guinn and Jeannette Oreschnigg have previously passed away.

She is survived by Stephen L. Lamkin, her husband of 52 years, and her daughter Kati, her son Greg and his wife Jamie, and her grandchildren, Benjamin and Morgan.