Polly Holliday, a Tony Award-nominated actor known for her iconic role as the sassy, gum-chewing waitress Flo in the CBS sitcom “Alice,” passed away at 88 on Tuesday at her home in New York, as confirmed by her theatrical agent, Dennis Aspland.

Holliday, the last surviving principal cast member of “Alice,” which ran from 1976 to 1985, became a household name with her catchphrase “Kiss my grits!”—a line she noted was a Hollywood invention rather than a Southern saying. Her popularity led to a short-lived spin-off, “Flo,” in 1980, and earned her four Golden Globe nominations (winning one in 1980), three Emmy nominations for “Alice,” and one for “Flo.”

A native of Alabama, Holliday resonated with Flo’s sharp, humorous, and resilient Southern spirit. Beyond television, her career spanned Broadway, with a Tony nomination for her role in the 1990 revival of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” and other credits including “All Over Town” (1974), “Arsenic and Old Lace” (1986), and “Picnic” (1994).

On screen, she appeared in films like “All the President’s Men,” “Gremlins” as the villainous Mrs. Deagle, and “The Client,” and had notable TV roles in “Golden Girls” and “Home Improvement.” Her off-Broadway performance in “A Quarrel of Sparrows” was praised for its touching cheerfulness, cementing her versatile and memorable legacy in entertainment.