Actress Kelly Bishop, who played Emily Gilmore on the seriesGilmore Girls, is opening up about her final moments with her late co-star, Edward Herrmann.
In an October 2025 interview with The i Paper, Bishop said she and Herrmann, who played Emily’s husband, Richard Gilmore, had a close friendship while filming the show, which had a seven-season run until 2007.
“We got along famously. We had so much in common and were so comfortable with one another,” said Bishop while speaking to the publication.
Bishop noted that Herrmann died at the age of 71 in 2014. According to The i Paper, Herrmann’s death was the result of brain cancer. The publication reported that Bishop didn’t know about his cancer until she read an article about it.
Bishop said that Herrmann’s wife Star Herrmann, whom he wed in 1994, reached out to her during his final days at the hospital while he was comatose. Bishop said she appreciated Star’s invitation to bid her beloved co-star a final farewell.
“I thought it was so generous of her to extend that offer to me. I expected other people to be there who were not family and there weren’t any, so that was even more touching to me, that Ed had said enough about me that she felt it was important I come. It was just so sad,” said Bishop in the interview.
The 81-year-old actress also referenced that she returned to play Emily for the 2016 4-episode Netflix reboot, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Due to Herrmann’s absence, much of the reboot’s storyline focused on Emily, her daughter, Lorelei (Lauren Graham), and her granddaughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel) grappling with Richard’s death.
“It was hard without him. And there were times, I must say, that I thought, ‘Is this sort of practice, for when this is going to happen to me?’” said Bishop.
The publication reported that Bishop’s second husband, Lee Leonard, died in 2018 after 37 years of marriage.
Lauren Graham Mentioned Edward Herrmann’s Death in a 2016 Interview
In a 2016 interview on the TODAY show, alongside Bledel and Bishop, Graham spoke about Herrmann’s absence while filming Gilmore Girls: A Year in a Life.
“We lost Ed Herrmann, and we could just feel his presence everywhere. Because he was the kind of person who just filled up a room,” said Graham during the TODAY show interview.
She also said that reuniting with the show’s surviving cast members for the Netflix reboot was poignant.
“It was a strange, wonderful, eerie combination of just like old times, yet brand new. Yet couldn’t believe. We talked about it for so long. And to finally get to be there, it was really emotional,” explained the Parenthood actress.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 4, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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