LONDON: Judy Carne, a star of the US comedy show "Laugh-In," has died in a British hospital. She was 76.

She was famous for popularizing the "Sock it to Me" phrase on the hit TV show that ran from 1967 to 1973.

Her death was confirmed Tuesday in an e-mail by Eva Duffy, spokeswoman for Northampton General Hospital.

Duffy said Carne died in the hospital on Sept. 3. Newspaper reports said she had suffered from pneumonia.

Carne shot to fame with the rise of "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In", a network smash hit that often featured her doused in water, taking pratfalls or suffering other humiliations.

She left the show in its third season and her acting career faltered as she became heavily involved with drugs, a phase described in her autobiography.