Shelley Fabares has died at the age of 82.

Fabares first enjoyed success on The Donna Reed Show, where she played daughter Mary. She also had a brief career as a singer. Later, she starred in the sitcom Coach as Christine Armstrong. She also appeared in three movies with Elvis Presley.

The Coach alum’s family — including her husband, M*A*S*H star Mike Farrell — confirmed her death in a statement shared with PEOPLE. They said Fabares died on Saturday, Aug. 22, in Los Angeles surrounded by her loved ones.

“To her family and friends, Shelley was a source of love, strength, laughter, and comfort,” Fabares’ family said. “She was a devoted wife, cherished stepmother, daughter, sister, niece, aunt, family member, and loyal friend whose warmth, generosity, humor, and grace made an enduring difference in the lives of everyone who knew her. She had a remarkable ability to make people feel welcomed, valued, and cared for.”

“For millions, Shelley was a beloved actress whose work became part of the fabric of American television and film,” they continued. “From her memorable role as Mary Stone on The Donna Reed Show, where she also launched a successful recording career with her number one hit, ‘Johnny Angel,’ to her appearances opposite Elvis Presley in three films, her beloved role on Coach, and her many other television and film performances, she brought talent, intelligence, and warmth to every performance. But to those closest to her, her greatest legacy was personal: the love she gave so freely, the friendships she treasured, and the family bonds she held dear.”

Farrell and family added that they “will remember Shelley for her kindness, loyalty, wit, courage and beautiful spirit.”

“We will miss her deeply — not only as a celebrated performer, but as the loving and extraordinary person she was in our everyday lives. We are heartbroken by her loss, yet profoundly grateful for the years we shared with her and for the joy, compassion, and love she brought to so many. We ask that our family’s privacy be respected as we grieve. We take comfort in knowing that Shelley’s work and the memories she created with those who loved her will continue to live on,” the statement concluded.

Fabares was born in Santa Monica, Calif., in 1944. Her aunt Nanette Fabray (who changed the family’s last name to the phonetic spelling) was already a working actress. Fabares’ mother got her into modeling at the age of 3, and at 10 years old in 1954, she made her TV debut in Letter to Loretta.

The life of a child actor, she told The Roanoke Times in 1994, could be tough. “It’s hard to know who you are and what you are,” she explained. “The things that go into the making of a child — you’re not totally disciplined, you don’t always behave, you have a sense of freedom — those things are not allowed on a set.”

In 1958, she began starring in The Donna Reed Show as Mary Stone, the teenage daughter of Reed’s Donna and Carl Betz’s Dr. Alex. The family was completed by son and brother Jeff, played by Paul Petersen. Fabares became extremely close to Reed, telling PEOPLE in 1984, ​”She was a role model before I knew what a role model was.”

During the 1961-1962 season, producer Tony Owen, who was also Reed’s husband, decided to incorporate singing into the show via Peterson and Fabares.

“I remember saying, ‘Mr. Owen, Paul can do it. He can do anything,’ ” she told the Los Angeles Times in 2011. “Maybe a month later, he came up to me one day and said, ‘Hey, kid. Do you like being on the show? Do you want to be on next year?’ Not seeing the train heading directly toward me, I said, ‘Oh, yes, Mr. Owen. I do.’ Then he said, ‘Sing.’ ”

Fabares’ song “Johnny Angel” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962. She also released four albums. She married music producer Lou Adler in 1964. They separated two years later, but Fabares wouldn’t file for divorce until 1978. It was finalized in 1980.

During season 5 of The Donna Reed Show, Fabares’ Mary went to college and appeared less regularly on the show. The series ended in 1966.

Fabares credited Reed for helping her learn to navigate Hollywood.

“Like many women in a ‘man’s’ business, Donna had to learn how to deal with big egos and small minds,” she wrote in an essay in Time about Reed’s misunderstood legacy in 2020. “When I, as a teenager, balked at doing a scene that frightened me, she’d walk me around the set and tell me stories of her life, showing me how to confront my fears and move forward in spite of them.”

In 1965, Fabares starred in her first movie with Presley, Girl Happy. They would costar again in 1966’s Spinout and 1967’s Clambake. She also starred in 1966’s Hold On! with the band Herman’s Hermits.

Fabares appeared widely on television in guest roles throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s. In 1971, she starred in the beloved, Emmy-winning TV film Brian’s Song with James Caan and Billy Dee Williams. She had a starring role on the 1976 TV series The Practice, and both she and her aunt appeared on the TV series One Day at a Time in recurring and then main roles. Other shows she appeared on included Police Story, The Rockford Files, The Love Boat and Murder, She Wrote.

Coach premiered in 1989, and Fabares starred opposite Craig T. Nelson, who played the title role, Coach Hayden Fox. The on-again, off-again romance between their characters was one of the show’s main plots, and Fabares was pleased to play “a very successful, ambitious woman,” she told the Orlando Sentinel in 1989.