My prayers to her family , '' he said . `` I am stunned and heartbroken , '' tweets actor Elizabeth Peña . Lou Diamond Phillips died 1977 of natural causes after a brief illness , her manager says . She is known for appearing as New Jersey mother in the ABC sitcom `` Modern Family '' Peña is survived by her mother , a sister , her husband and two children .
`` I am stunned and heartbroken , '' tweets actor Elizabeth Peña . Lou Diamond Phillips died 1977 of natural causes after a brief illness , her manager says . She is known for appearing as New Jersey mother in the ABC sitcom `` Modern Family '' Peña is survived by her mother , a sister , her husband and two children .