Lara Parker, known fondly for her role as the antagonistic witch Angelique Bouchard on the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, has passed away at the age of 84.

Parker was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1938. She was still in the beginning of her acting career when she landed the role that would become her most famous; that of witch Angelique, who adored and hated Barnabas Collins in turns. Originally introduced as a way to explain how Barnabas had become a vampire, Parker was so popular that she was brought back for multiple storylines through the show's six-season run.

Her Dark Shadows co-star, Kathryn Leigh Scott, wrote about her time with Parker. "We met as 'Josette' and 'Angelique' on Dark Shadows... that's how many knew us, but we knew each other as friends and confidantes. For more than 50 years, our lives were intertwined through our mutual love of literature, writing and acting. While getting on with the ordinary stuff of life, we sought each other out for encouragement, support and a trusted sounding board. We could not have been more unalike, and therein lay the magic of our enduring friendship. My thoughts are with her family in this sad time of grief and remembrance."

She reprised her role as Angelique in the film Night of Dark Shadows in 1971. Following her time at Collinwood, she appeared on TV and film through much of the Seventies and early Eighties, usually in guest starring roles. Notably, she played Bruce Banner's wife in the 1977 Incredible Hulk TV show pilot. Fans will remember that it is Banner's wife's death that drives him to the risky experiments that lead to him becoming the Hulk.

In 1998, Parker published her first novel in the Dark Shadows universe, Angelique's Descent. She followed the book up with sequels Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch and Dark Shadows: Wolf Moon Rising. In 2016, her fourth and final novel, Heiress of Collinwood, was released.

In her later life, Parker stepped away from acting and became a high school English teacher, getting her MFA in creative writing from Antioch University.

Parker had not entirely left the TV world of Dark Shadows behind, however. In 2012, she reunited with fellow cast members Jonathan Frid, David Selby, and Kathryn Leigh Scott to make cameo appearances in Tim Burton's remake movie Dark Shadows, where Parker's character was played by Eva Green. You can spot them during the gala scene at Collinwood, where they arrive to the party as a group.