'Chicago Fire' actress Molly Glynn dies after being struck by falling tree during storm

WINNETKA, Ill. (KABC) -- Molly Gylnn, a Chicago theater actress who also played a recurring role as a doctor on the TV drama "Chicago Fire," died Saturday after a tree toppled by a powerful storm struck her as she rode her bike in a north suburban forest preserve.

The 46-year-old was biking with her husband, Joe Foust, on the North Branch Trail near Northfield Friday afternoon when the thunderstorm rolled quickly into the area, just north of Chicago, the executive director of First Folio Theatre and a close family friend, David Rice, said Sunday.

"Molly was one of the most loving and generous people in the Chicago theater scene," he said. "She was incredibly talented - incredibly versatile. She could handle both comedy and the deepest darkest, dramas."

Glynn's husband called 911 just before 4 p.m. on Friday to say his wife had been injured, Cook County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Sophia Ansari said. She was transported to NorthShore Evanston Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries on Saturday.

Chicago actress Molly Glynn died Saturday after being hit by a falling tree while bicycling in a north suburban forest preserve on Friday. She is being remembered for her grace and sophistication on the stage.

Glynn had an audition earlier in the day Friday and she and her husband had decided to go for a ride. The inclement weather took them by surprise and the tree slammed into Glynn as the couple sought to ride to safety, Rice said.

"It was a freak accident and a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said.

Glynn was described by her peers as someone who was in the process of emerging as one of the city's major players.

Glynn recently appeared in multiple roles in Skokie's Northlight Theatre Production of Tom Jones and had just finished a run as understudy in The Dance of Death in Glencoe's Writer's Theatre.

"Molly was a marvelous actress and a completely warmhearted and generous human being," artistic director Michael Halberstam said in a statement. "She had grace, sophistication and a sparkling, sexy, sassy stage presence."

Glynn is survived by her husband and two teenage sons.

WLS-TV Chicago and The Associated Press contributed to this report.