Maxine Klibingaitis, Australian Actress of Neighbors and Prisoner Fame, Dies Suddenly at 58
Australian actress Maxine Klibingaitis, recognized for her roles in popular television series Neighbors and Prisoner, has died suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 58. The news was announced on Monday by the Prisoner fan club Partners in Crime through a Facebook post. Klibingaitis is survived by her son Zane, according to TV Tonight.
Klibingaitis portrayed teenage punk Bobbie Mitchell on Prisoner from 1983 to 1985 and apprentice plumber Terry Inglis on Neighbours for six months in 1985. The Partners in Crime announcement read: "Maxine Klibingaitis 1964 - 2023. We regrettably announce that actress Maxine Klibingaitis has passed away today. Maxine played the much-loved character of Bobbie Mitchell in Prisoner, Terri Inglis in Neighbours, and many other roles in Australian TV. Maxine was only 58. We send our sincere condolences to her son, Zane and Maxine's family & friends. RIP Maxine."
The fan page emphasized that Klibingaitis' passing was not a hoax and that her sudden and unexpected death had been confirmed by a close friend. The page admin, known as Maria, wrote, "Just to clarify for those inboxing me, the sad news is not a hoax.
A very close friend of Maxine's called me late today [and] asked me to post the sad news so that Maxine's fans would know. Maxine had many fans. Regards, Maria." Klibingaitis' last public appearance was at a Prisoner reunion in 2019.
The cause of Klibingaitis' death remains unknown, and her son Zane has not yet commented on her passing. Neighbours fans will remember Klibingaitis for her portrayal of Terry, who married the villainous Paul Robinson (played by Stefan Dennis) in a mid-1980s storyline. Terry's story arc ended with her suicide, making her the first Ramsay Street character to take her own life.
In Prisoner, Klibingaitis played Bobby, a character who was abducted and beaten before making a daring prison escape. Klibingaitis also appeared in several other Australian television series throughout the 1990s and 2000s, including Home and Away, The Flying Doctors, and All Together Now. In 1987, Klibingaitis married television director Andrew Friedman.