Kelsey Lentz
·4 min read
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Hallmark star Barbara Niven is mourning a devastating personal loss. The actress, who plays Alison Sweeney’s mom in the Hannah Swensen Mysteries franchise, took to social media on July 3 to reflect on how precious life is after she learned that an old friend was “not doing well.” The Bold and the Beautiful alum later confirmed that her friend had sadly passed.
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In her video message, recorded as two of her grandkids played in the background, Niven described her friend as “so important” during a past chapter of her life, though she did not reveal details about their relationship. She also urged her followers to check in on their friends, family and loved ones. “Please say hello. call people that you have not talked to for a while,” Niven said. “And, just, if there’s a problem, what difference does it make? Call them and say, ‘I’m sorry’ or ‘it’s silly that we’ve not been in touch’ and just fix it, please.”
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She captioned the post: “Life is short. If you are not doing what you love or being with the people that you love, please fix it. If there’s someone you need to speak to, do it now. We never know how much time we have, and you don’t want any regrets❤️.”
Fans instantly flooded the comments section and offered the actress their prayers. “I’m so sorry for your friend. Positive vibes for healing!” one fan wrote. “So true Barbara. I’ve been doing this lately. Just reaching out to folks. ❤️❤️ Praying for your friend. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽,” a second fan wrote.
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“I am so sorry to hear about your friend, it’s heartbreaking to get that news,” another fan wrote under Niven’s Facebook post. “May you be able to call and talk and face time them to let them know you are there.” Niven responded directly to the comment and confirmed that her friend had passed, but noted that they got to talk one last time. “I was able to call and talk to her and she had made peace and was ready to pass. She had already gone through so much and her body just couldn’t take it anymore,” she explained.
“She was so concerned about how the people she loved would handle it when she died and passed on the wisdom that life is indeed short and that we need to fix things while we can and have no regrets,” Niven continued. “She passed within a couple of days.” The actress added:“I am so glad I had that phone call and I could make her laugh, calm her spirit and just let her know what a difference she made in my life and so many others. It hurts so much that I couldn’t actually see her and hold her one last time. But I know I will see her again someday.”
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Niven’s friends’ death comes one year after she lost her former Chesapeake Shores co-star Treat Williams, who died in a motorcycle accident on June 12, 2023. The actors both starred on all five seasons of the hit Hallmark show as love interests Meghan and Mick O’Brien, who finally tied the knot in the series finale.
On the day after his death, Niven shared an emotional tribute to the actor. “Treat lived large and savored every bit of life. He loved his craft and it was an honor to spend six years with him on Chesapeake Shores. He truly was the patriarch of our family, both on and off the set,” she wrote alongside a photo from the series finale. “Fly high, Treat. Thank you for letting us fly with you for a little while. We will miss you dearly. ❤️
She also opened up about his death during an interview with Entertainment Tonight later that month. “It’s really hard to even consider the fact that he’s not hear,” she told the outlet. “What a joy, what an honor, what a legacy he’s left behind … he taught us all how to be better actors and how to live life and just get more out of it.”
Niven got her start on daytime soaps, appearing on The Bold and the Beautiful and One Life to Live, and she’s been with the Hallmark Channel since the first Hannah Swensen Mystery debuted back in 2015. In addition to Chesapeake Shores, she also starred on all three seasons of the Hallmark drama series Cedar Cove as Peggy Beldon. Her holiday movie credit include Ms. Christmas Comes to Town, The Christmas Contest, USS Christmas and all three Christmas in Evergreen films.
The Hannah Swensen Mysteries can be streamed on Hallmark Movies Now.
See how to watch all Hannah Swensen Mysteries in order in the gallery below.
