“I have not had many people this close to me pass,” Barry Williams, who played eldest son Greg Brady, told the Daily News Friday. “I would go to her sometimes when I was struggling with issues. [She was] very wise, worldly and helpful.”
Williams, 62, famously recalled how he once had a crush on Henderson during filming of the series. “I did have a crush on her — I was also, like, 16,” he told the News with a laugh.
Christopher Knight, who played middle son Peter Brady, shared a recent photo of himself with Henderson on Twitter Friday, along with a touching message. “I grieve for the passing of my dear friend, Florence,” he wrote. “Privileged to have known her and the kindness of her heart. She will be missed. RIP.”
I grieve for the passing of my dear friend, Florence. Privileged to have known her and the kindness of her heart. She will be missed. RIP pic.twitter.com/Wu1ujaycHW
— Christopher Knight (@ChrisKnightHome) November 25, 2016
Mike Lookinland, who was just 8 years old when the series first debuted in 1969, told the News that he was stunned by the tragic news of Henderson’s passing.
“I woke up today to the sad news,” the 55-year-old actor said. “I just got to my mother’s cabin in the woods in southern Utah, and I’m still shocked and amazed. … She was the kind of person that is just great to be around. Just to be in the same room with her was a pleasure. You can’t say that about most people.”
Maureen McCormick, who played oldest daughter Marcia on The Brady Bunch — and who recently danced with her TV mom on Dancing With the Stars — was one of the first Brady kids to react to Henderson’s death.
On Thursday, the 60-year-old actress shared an image on Twitter of the pair together, writing, “You are in my heart forever Florence.”
Eve Plumb, who played middle sister Jan Brady, shared a nostalgic message about her time on the show as one of the “kids.” “Florence was a wonderful role model for me and all of us ‘kids,’” Plumb, 58, wrote. “She taught me how to be a professional actor by her example of preparedness and respect for the work and her fellow cast and crew members.”
— Eve Plumb (@Therealeveplumb) November 25, 2016
“She was also loving, warm, generous, and could tell a funny, dirty joke,” she continued. “I’m fortunate to have been able to know and to work with her. She will be missed by her children, grandchildren, and us ‘kids.’”
Susan Olsen, who played youngest Brady kid Cindy, told Variety that though she and the rest of Henderson’s TV children are devastated by their loss, she is thinking of Henderson’s four real-life children and family.
“My heart right now is going to her four children,” Olsen, 55, told the site. “I always felt we stole the limelight from them.”
Henderson was hospitalized at Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Wednesday, November 23, and died Thursday evening of heart failure, surrounded by family and friends. She was 82.
