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Vale: Joy Chambers-Grundy

Actress and businesswoman Joy Chambers-Grundy, who married media mogul Reg Grundy, has died.

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Actress and businesswoman Joy Chambers-Grundy, who married media mogul Reg Grundy, has died aged 76.

She died in her sleep on Saturday morning, surrounded by loved ones.

“Joy will be remembered as a Logie award-winning actress, a best-selling author, a poet, a philanthropist, and an exceptional businesswoman who worked alongside her husband to build one of the largest independent production companies in the world,” her family said in a statement.

Born in Ipswich in 1946, Chambers-Grundy is known for her roles in The Restless Years, The Young Doctors and Neighbours as Rosemary, the adoptive daughter of Helen Daniels and the sister of Anne Robinson. She won a Logie Award for Best Female Personality in 1969 and 1970.

She became a best-selling author, poet, philanthropist and businesswoman. In recent years, she focussed on writing, with seven books listed on her website. Her last book, The Soldier’s Choice, was released in 2014.

Chambers-Grundy was married to Reg Grundy from 1971 until 2016, both living in Bermuda. Grundy met Joy when she was a panellist on the game show I’ve Got a Secret. She also featured on Blankety Blanks and The Celebrity Game.

His production company was behind hit shows including Prisoner, The Young Doctors, Sons and Daughters, Sale of the Century and Neighbours.

Following his death at age 92 she was embroiled in a bitter legal battle with Grundy’s estranged daughter Kim – who now goes by the name Viola La Valette – over his $900million fortune.

Nearly all of his assets went to his wife, while Ms La Valette – who he hadn’t seen in the 22 years before he died – was allocated yearly payments of $250,000.

The three-year court battle came to an end after the pair reached a confidential settlement in the NSW Supreme Court in 2020.

Source: Seven News, Daily Mail

7 Responses

  1. Just catching up on this.

    On UK screens, Joy is fondly remembered for her roles of Robyn Porter in The Young Doctors and Rosemary Daniels in Neighbours.

    Very sad news.

  2. Joy Chambers appeared on The Young Doctors when I was working in the script department at Grundy’s. She was a wonderful actor and a lovely person.
    In TYD Joy portrayed – and I’m not joking – Doctor Robyn Quinlan Fielding Porter Marshall Johnson. Yes, she had been married five times but was still a virgin!!
    In one episode Robyn confessed this to her close friend Helen Gordon (Lyn James, another fine actor). Robyn said, “I’m the life of the party until I’m left alone with a man. And then, must I spell it out?” Helen replied, “You mean you’re a -?” And Robyn nodded before Helen uttered the V word. It takes two really fine actors to make a scene like this credible – and both of them were.
    Remember all this was broadcast on 9 at 6pm!!!

  5. Another face and voice from my childhood gone. I used to love watching Joy on ‘The Restless Years’ and the game shows she appeared on. She was equally adept in drama as she was in being comedy. To then discover she was a successful author and businesswoman just added to her cache. What a life. I didn’t realise she won Logies so early in her career. Joy Chambers then Grundy really made her mark.

    1. In the early years Logies were also given to the top personalities in each state. Remember, not everything was networked nation wide back then, so there would be some personalities only known in their home state, like some newsreaders still are now.

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