ANN Morgan Guilbert, best loved for playing Grandma Yetta on 90s sitcom The Nanny, has died aged 87.

Guilbert died of cancer in Los Angeles on Tuesday, her daughter Nora Eckstein said.

Her former Nanny co-star, Fran Drescher, today tweeted: “Such a great actress! I thank you Annie. Thank you for all the laughs! May you be cracking them up in heaven!”

Guilbert also starred as the next-door neighbour on The Dick Van Dyke Show and more recently she had a starring role on the hospital comedy Getting On and a guest spot on Grey’s Anatomy.

But the role she’ll be best remembered for is playing Yetta Rosenberg on The Nanny, which ran from 1993 - 1999.

Here are some fun facts about the hit sitcom:

How it came to be: Fran Drescher was on a plane from France to the US when she realised the head of TV network CBS was on the same flight. She had always wanted to star in her own show, so she spent several minutes in the plane bathroom psyching herself up before introducing herself to the TV executive. Drescher managed to charm him and he agreed to meet with her later on to discuss some ideas. A year later, The Nanny was born.

Age difference: The actor who played Yetta (Ann Morgan Guilbert) was actually only five years older than the actor who played Fran’s mum, Sylvia (played by Renée Taylor).

Accents: According to IMDB, UK fans of the show often wrote letters complaining about Charles Shaughnessy’s (who played Mr Sheffield) British accent. They suggested that he should study Daniel Davis’s (who played Niles the butler) accent. The complaints were a bit of a slap in the face for Shaughnessy, because he was actually born in London, whereas Davis was born in Arkansas.

Grace Sheffield hated the show: Madeline Zima (who played Grace Sheffield) did not enjoy her six years on The Nanny. “It wasn’t a fun experience,” Zima said to The TV page. “They treated me more like a prop than like a human being.”

Friends instead of actors: A number of characters on The Nanny were either played by or named after Fran Drescher’s friends and family. In real life, just like on the show, Fran’s parents are called Sylvia and Morty and her sister is called Nadine. Her real life dad appeared on the show several times, both playing Fine’s father Morty and Uncle Stanley.

Dog: Remember CC’s dog Chester? There was a running gag in the show that Chester hated CC and kept running away. The Pomeranian loved Fran Fine though, which isn’t surprising given that Chester was actually Drescher’s dog in real life.

CC: In the show’s finale, it was revealed that CC’s real name is Chastity Claire.