‘Everwood’ Stars Mourn Loss of Castmate Stephanie Niznik

Farewells and tributes continue to pour in for former Everwood star Stephanie Niznik, who passed away unexpectedly in June of this year.

The 52-year-old actress had been living in Encino, California, at the time, but news of her death only recently came to light. Everwood creator Greg Berlanti and showrunner Rina Mimoun are remembering Niznik, as are a slew of her former costars on social media. Niznik was best known for playing Nina Feeney on the drama series, which ran from 2002-06.

In a joint statement released by Berlanti and Mimoun, they wrote:

“Everwood was more than a television show. It was a family. We recently lost the mother of our tribe, Stephanie Niznik. Stephanie played Nina, the next door neighbor to Andy Brown, and the woman who helped raise his children as he struggled with being a single father. She continued that role off-screen by being an incredible friend, a nurturing mother figure to our younger cast members and an artist who brought warmth, compassion and humor to every episode and our set. Everyone who was lucky enough to know and work with her will miss her dearly.”

Niznik with Everwood costars Mike Erwin and Chris Pratt (Credit: Albert L. Ortega/WireImage)

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The statement included the meaningful hashtag #Foreverwood.

For our beloved Stephanie Niznik @GBerlanti #Foreverwood pic.twitter.com/5NtKZx4Yzv

— Rina Mimoun (@RinaMimoun) July 13, 2019

Among some of the others showing their respects to Niznik are costars Scott Wolf, Sarah Drew and more.

“This is heartbreaking,” Scott Wolf wrote in a tweet. “She was so kind, and so fun to work with. I’m lucky to have known her. Rest In Peace Stephanie.”

Meanwhile, Sarah Drew shared her own message of sorrow regarding Niznik’s passing. “So Heartbroken to hear about the passing of Stephanie Niznik. We grew to be a tight knit community during our time on #everwood. Stephanie was a loving, open hearted friend and a bright light on set. I can’t believe she’s gone,” she wrote.

So Heartbroken to hear about the passing of Stephanie Niznik. We grew to be a tight knit community during our time on #everwood. Stephanie was a loving, open hearted friend and a bright light on set. I can’t believe she is gone. ❤️🙏🏻❤️🙏🏻 https://t.co/uXKFle5q1z

— Sarah Drew (@sarahdrew) July 14, 2019

Vivien Cardone also shared her own tribute for Niznik on Twitter, in which she calls her an “absolutely beautiful soul.”

An absolutely beautiful soul gone far too soon. So grateful to have met, worked with, and learned from such a strong, confident, kind, incredible woman. You will be so dearly missed Steph. 💔 pic.twitter.com/FZUy26qVyj

— Vivien Cardone (@VivienECardone) July 13, 2019

Among the other roles Niznik was known for, the actress appeared in shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, Lost, CSI: Miami and Life Is Wild.