Actress Dixie Carter dead at age 70

LOS ANGELES, April 11 (UPI) -- U.S. TV's "Designing Women" star Dixie Carter has died in Los Angeles at age 70, her agent reports.

The cause of her death Saturday was not immediately revealed, CNN reported Sunday.

Carter -- a stage actress best known for her small screen role as Julia Sugarbaker from 1986 to 1993 -- was nominated for an Emmy for her guest role on ABC's "Desperate Housewives" in 2007. Among her numerous other TV roles were those on "Family Law" and "Different Strokes," CNN said.

Her husband, actor Hal Holbrooke, told "Entertainment Tonight" his wife's death was a "terrible blow" and "a private family tragedy."

The couple met while co-starring on "The Killing of Randy Webster," a CBS made-for-TV film, and married in 1984.

The McLemoresville, Tenn., native is survived by Holbrooke and two daughters from a previous marriage, Mary Dixie and Ginna, CNN said.