Yes, That Always Sunny Tribute Was Real. Here's Who Lynne Marie Was.
Seventeen seasons in, It's Always Sunny finally got serious — just for a minute. And it landed.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia isn't exactly known for its sentimentality — this is a show that once aired an episode called "Who Pooped the Bed?" — but Season 17 closed out with something rare: a genuine moment of heart.
The finale, "The Golden Bachelor Live", aired on August 20, and ended not with chaos, but with a tribute. After Frank handed Samantha a golden rose (in classic Sunny style), the screen faded to a title card:
"In Loving Memory of Lynne Marie Stewart."
What followed was a short montage of her best moments as Bonnie Kelly, Charlie's anxiety-wracked, chain-smoking mother who appeared sporadically across 19 episodes over nearly two decades. She wasn't in every season — far from it — but when she did show up, fans always knew it would be awkward, hilarious, and oddly touching in that weird Sunny way.
Who Was Lynne Marie Stewart?
Stewart passed away on February 21, 2025, at the age of 78, following a battle with cancer. According to The New York Times, she was diagnosed just a couple of months earlier, in December 2024, after a tumor was discovered in her liver and gallbladder. She died at her sister's home in Los Angeles, shortly after wrapping production on an indie film called The Dink.
While Sunny introduced her to a whole new audience, Stewart had a long, often surprising career. She was best known to older viewers as Miss Yvonne from The Pee-wee Herman Show and Pee-wee's Playhouse, a role she later reprised in Pee-wee's Big Holiday.
Her résumé stretched back decades: Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, Laverne & Shirley, 2 Broke Girls, Comedy Bang! Bang!, and more. She specialized in weird, eccentric, often chaotic characters — and brought exactly that chaotic energy to Bonnie Kelly.
Longtime viewers caught the tribute instantly and took to social media to express their appreciation. Many said it was a perfect sendoff for a character who, despite her limited screen time, was a key part of Sunny's off-kilter emotional core. A mom who'd chain-smoke through a custody hearing? Classic Bonnie.