June Lockhart has died aged 100

June Elizabeth said: "Mommy always considered acting her craft, but her true passions were journalism, politics, science, and NASA.

"She cherished her role in Lost in Space and was delighted to know she inspired many future astronauts."

Lyle Gregory - a family friend - is quoted by The Guardian as saying: "She was very happy up until the very end, reading the New York Times and LA Times every day.

"It was very important to her to stay focused on the news of the day."

According to People, funeral services for June - who died in Santa Monica, California - will be private, and instead of flowers, the Hollywood legend's family has asked donations to be made to The Actors Fund, ProPublica and International Hearing Dog, Inc.

The star was born in New York City on June 25, 1925, and was the daughter of actor Gene and actress Kathleen Lockhart.

June's career spanned film and television, and her first movie appearance came in 1938 with MGM's A Christmas Carol, cast as the daughter of Bob Cratchit, played by her dad Gene, with Kathleen as his wife.

Speaking about working with her parents in A Christmas Carol, June told the Ames Tribune in 2014: "I thought my parents were wonderful as the Cratchits, and it was just great fun to see how a film was made.

"I loved the Victorian costumes.

"We used to perform it every Christmas at home for our dinner guests. So I had already appeared in it, with my parents, in our living room for many years prior to doing it for MGM."

In 1947, she won the inaugural Tony Award, taking home the Best Newcomer accolade for her performance on Broadway in For Love or Money.

By 1958, June was cast in the much-loved TV series Lassie, replacing Cloris Leachman as Ruth Martin.

After Lassie, she starred in Lost in Space from 1965 to 1968 - playing the mom of a family of space colonists - and she inspired people to become scientists.

June joked to NPR in 2004: "I did Lassie for six years, and I never had anybody come up to me and say, 'It made me want to be a farmer.'"

The actress - who has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for movies and one for TV - even became an unofficial ambassador for NASA, frequently appearing at launches and celebrations alongside astronauts.

And in 2013, she was honoured by NASA with the prestigious Exceptional Public Achievement Medal.