what happened to edith

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In the two-part episode "Archie Alone", it is revealed that she died of a stroke. At first, Archie tries to act like nothing had happened, but he only delayed his emotions. Then at the end, he breaks down. It was an emotional episode. I only saw it when it was rerun on TV Land. It was the show's season opener in the fall of 1980.

When Archie Bunker's Place resumed in the 1980-81 season, they had said that Edith had died in her sleep. The season opener is about the aftermath of her death and Archie trying to cope without her. This was due to the fact that Jean Stapleton didn't want to play the role anymore and this way people wouldn't be wondering where Edith was.

Archie didn't want to take the life insurance money from when Edith died.

Archie Bunker: "God them people from Jersey is brutes."

When Archie Bunker's Place was being proposed Jean Stapleton made it clear that after nine years on a weekly sit-com, she was only willing to make occasional appearances.
After the first season the writers expressed their frustration over having to come up with excuses for Edith's frequent absences. It took Jean Stapleton to convince Norman Lear to agree to have the character killed off.

The aliens kidnapped her at the end of season 1 and replaced her with a decoy dead body in season 2...