Royana Black, who had the title role on the 1988 CBS sitcom “Raising Miranda,” died earlier this month in Los Angeles of acute myeloid leukemia, according to her obituary. She was 47.
Black grew up in New York state and, at age 10, she played Laurie, the cousin of main character Eugene, in Neil Simon’s “Brighton Beach Memoirs” on Broadway, Deadline noted.
A few years later she landed the teen daughter role of Miranda Marshak on “Raising Miranda,” in which her character and on-screen father (James Naughton) learn to cope after her mother leaves them.
The comedy, which also featured a “crazy uncle” played by Bryan Cranston, lasted just nine episodes.
She played a guest role on “The Cosby Show” in 1989 and later attended Yale, graduating in 1994. She resumed TV appearances on such shows as “Touched by an Angel” in 1996.
Black also ran her own theater company in Los Angeles and performed in the productions, according to her obituary.
“Royana had an infectious smile and laugh which could light even the the darkest of days,” read the obit after her death on July 14. “She was a beautiful person inside and out. She was truly an angel on earth.”
Black is survived by her husband of 11 years, actor J.P. Hubbell.
