Broadway star Carol Channing has died of natural causes at the age of 97 at her California home.
Her long-term publicist B. Harlan Boll confirmed her passing with a heartfelt tribute to the woman he called an “original Industry Pioneer, Legend and Icon”.
“I admired her before I met her, and have loved her since the day she stepped... or fell rather... into my life,” he said.
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Born in 1921, Channing made her Broadway debut in 1948 and got her breakout role the following year as Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the role which would be played on screen by Marilyn Monroe.
But it was her majestic turn as matchmaker Dolly Levi in the 1964 musical Hello Dolly! that would turn her into a household name, as theatre critics enthused over her spirited performance, unique voice and ineffable charisma.
Channing’s Dolly was considered such a much-see that “Jacqueline Kennedy and her two children made their first public appearance after JFK's death by seeing her perform in Hello, Dolly! and later visited her backstage,” says Broadway World.
Over the next 30 years, she would play the role over 5,000 times in numerous revivals, only ever missing one scheduled appearance. The Guardian reports that Channing would tell her understudies: “Don’t worry about learning the part. You’ll never have to go on.”
As well as Hello Dolly! revivals, Channing also continued a varied career on stage and screen, earning as Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her performance alongside Julie Andrews in 1967 comedy Thoroughly Modern Millie.
Here are four performances that showcase her talent:
Hello Dolly! - Royal Variety Show, 1979
Jazz Baby - Thoroughly Modern Millie, 1967
Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1957
Before the Parade Passes By - Tony awards, 1971
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