Friends of Poltergeist star Zelda Rubinstein have dismissed reports the actress is close to death after a month-long health battle, insisting she's well on the way to recovery.

Internet reports have suggested the 76 year old, who played creepy spirit talker Tangina in the cult 1982 film, had been taken off a life support machine after spending December at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

The actress was admitted when two of her major organs failed.

But sources insist things aren't as bleak as reports suggest.

A friend tells MovieHole.net, "She's OK. Vitals are good. She's apparently doing better. Internet sources exaggerated the story."