Debra McCurdy gained fame as a prominent American parent, recognized for her daughter Jennette McCurdy’s success as an actress. Jennette rose to stardom portraying Sam Puckett in the popular Nickelodeon show iCarly and its spinoff Sam and Cat.
Debra McCurdy Bio Summary
Full name: Debra Leel LaBeaf McCurdy
Date of birth: 17th July 1957
Birth sign: Cancer
Place of birth: Long Beach, Los Angeles, California, United States
Date of death: 20th September 2013
Place of death: Garden Grove, Orange County, California, United States
Age at death: 56 years
Cause of death: Cancer
Nationality: American
Religion: Christianity
Gender: Female
Sexual orientation: Straight
Marital status: Separated
Ex-husband: Mark McCurdy
Children: Four
What happened to Debra McCurdy?
Debra McCurdy, who was born on July 17, 1957, in Long Beach, Los Angeles, California, passed away at the age of 56 in 2013.
In 1995, Debra McCurdy received a diagnosis of stage four breast cancer and underwent treatment. Although she experienced a 15-year period of remission, the cancer reemerged in 2010 and metastasized to her brain. Tragically, she passed away on September 20th, 2013 in Garden Grove, Orange County, California.
Debbie’s daughter Jennette wrote about her mother’s battle with cancer in a Wall Street Journal essay titled Off-Camera, My Mom’s Fight With Cancer, published in 2011. She wrote,
“I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for my mother to tolerate all she has gone through and continues to go through – the pain, the worry and the battle. She wakes up every day hurting and goes to sleep, hurting even more.”
She added,
“I was mad that my mother had to go through such a terrible thing again. I was confused as to how it could come back after 15 years of living cancer-free and perplexed that the doctors hadn’t found it sooner.”
Family
Debra McCurdy was wed to American businessman Mark McCurdy. Despite her extramarital relationship, Mark chose to remain by her side after she was diagnosed with cancer, despite their frequent arguments.
Debra was a mother to four children, consisting of sons named Marcus, Dustin McCurdy, and Scott, and a daughter named Jennette. While she had one child with her husband Mark, her other three children were the result of extramarital affairs.
Jennette McCurdy found some solace in Debra McCurdy’s passing in 2013, despite the pain caused by her mother’s ongoing medical issues.
In her memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, released in 2022, Jennette blames her mother for emotional mistreatment and neglecting to shield her from the perils of the entertainment industry during her early years as an actress.
In 2021, the actress from Nickelodeon shared with People that she was first exposed to acting at the young age of six.
“My earliest memories of childhood were of heaviness and chaos.” She adds, “My mom had always dreamt of being a famous actor, and she became obsessed with making me a star.”
Despite her mother’s death, Jennette’s brothers continued to offer their unwavering support during her treatment. She eventually left the entertainment industry but has maintained a close friendship with her iCarly colleague, Miranda Cosgrove.
