AceShowbiz - Lauren Chapin, the actress who played Kathy "Kitten" Anderson on the beloved sitcom Father Knows Best, has died. She was 80 years old.

Her son, Matthew, announced her passing on Facebook. "After a long hard fought battle over the past five years, the time has come. My mother Lauren Chapin passed away from her battle with cancer tonight," he wrote. He asked for thoughts and prayers for the family.

Chapin was born on May 23, 1945, in Los Angeles. She became a child star at age nine when she was cast on Father Knows Best. She played the youngest child in the Anderson family for the show's entire six-season run. For her performance, she won five Junior Emmys for Best Child Actress.

After the series ended in 1960, Lauren Chapin made a single guest appearance on The General Electric Theater before stepping away from screen acting for 16 years. She later spoke publicly about her personal struggles and the challenges of childhood fame. She became a founding board member of A Minor Consideration, a non-profit focused on the welfare of child actors.

In her later career, Chapin worked in various fields, including at a brokerage firm and as a teacher of natural childbirth techniques. She also worked as a talent manager, helping guide a young Jennifer Love Hewitt. An ordained evangelist, she authored a 1989 autobiography titled Father Does Know Best.

She is survived by her son Matthew, her daughter Summer, and her brother Michael.