Carol Channing, who helped define the golden age of Broadway with performances in Hello Dolly! and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, has died at the age of 97.
Channing passed away shortly after midnight on Tuesday at her home in Rancho Mirage, California, publicist B Harlan Boll said.
She died from natural causes having suffered a series of stokes over the past year, Boll said. She would have turned 98 at the end of the month.
Channing was won three Tony Awards and an Emmy during her lifetime, while also being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
And in 1967, the actress was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Thoroughly Modern Millie.
She performed at the inauguration of President Lyndon B Johnson in 1965 and five years later made history when she became the first artist to perform solo at the Super Bowl halftime show.
Carol Channing, star of musicals such as Hello Dolly! and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, has died at the age of 97 (pictured left in 1950, and right in 2015)
Channing (pictured in 2007) died of natural causes having suffered several strokes over the last year, her publicist B Harlan Boll said
'It is with extreme heartache, that I have to announce the passing of an original Industry Pioneer, Legend and Icon – Miss Carol Channing,' said her publicist in a statement.
'I admired her before I met her, and have loved her since the day she stepped … or fell rather … into my life.
'It is so very hard to see the final curtain lower on a woman who has been a daily part of my life for more than a third of it.
'We supported each other, cried with each other, argued with each other, but always ended up laughing with each other.
Saying good-bye is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, but I know that when I feel those uncontrollable urges to laugh at everything and/or nothing at all, it will be because she is with me, tickling my funny bone.'
In a career that spanned seven decades, the saucer-eyed, raspy-voiced musical-comedy star never shook her associations with matchmaker Dolly Levi from the 1964 Broadway musical 'Hello Dolly!' or gold digger Lorelei Lee in Anita Loos's 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.'
Still, unlike many stars who are linked strongly to the characters they have played, Channing was pleased to be identified with Lorelei, as well as Dolly, a role that won her one of her Tony Awards.
'Audiences expect and demand I sing these songs,' she once told a reporter of her signature tunes, 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend' and 'Hello Dolly.'
'I'm lucky to be so closely associated with both 'Diamonds' and 'Dolly.' ... I'm luckier than most - I have two identity songs.'
Channing appears as matchmaker Dolly Levi in a scene from Hello Dolly!, which opened in 1964 and continues to be performed to this day, though Channing bowed out in 1996
Over the course of a seven-decade career Channing took to the stage more than 1,000 times, only missing one performance due to food poisoning (pictured left in 1967, right in 1969)
Dolly opened to rave reviews in 1964, and has remained a crowd favorite ever since.
Jackie Kennedy and her children John and Caroline famously made their first public appearance after the assassination of President Kennedy at a matinee of the show.
She appeared on stage for over 5,000 performances as Dolly, both in the original Broadway run which lasted through 1970 and later on the road and in two revivals, one in 1978 and the second in 1995.
At the time of her initial run, theater reviewer Tom Shales - of The Washington Post - called her 'the ninth wonder of the world.'
During that incredible run the musical picked up 10 Tony Awards, including one for Channing as best actress in a musical.
Despite becoming synonymous with the role, Channing had to battle her way on to the production, initially being told by producer David Merrick: 'I don't want that silly grin with all those teeth that go back to your ears.'
But she wowed wowed the team during her audition and was hired on the spot.
Despite becoming synonymous with the role, Channing was not a front runner for Dolly and was criticized for her 'silly grin'
While Channing was immensely successful on stage she rarely appeared on film.
She did pick up an Oscar nomination and Golden Globe for her part opposite Julie Andrews and Mary Tyler Moore in the film version of the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie in 1967.
Channing won her Emmy and several nominations for her many television variety specials.
In addition to her Tony for Dolly, the actress was also given a special honor in 1968 and in 1995, accepted a Tony for lifetime achievement.
She was born on January 31, 1921, in Seattle, where her father, George Channing, was a newspaper editor.
When his only child was three months old, he moved to San Francisco and worked as a writer for the Christian Science Monitor and as a lecturer.
He later became editor-in-chief of Christian Science publications.
At the age of seven, Channing decided she wanted to become an entertainer, crediting her father with encouraging her: 'He told me you can dedicate your life at seven or 97. And the people who do that are happier people.'
While majoring in drama and dance at Bennington College in Vermont, she was sent off to get experience in her chosen field. She found a job in a New York revue.
The show lasted only two weeks, but a New Yorker magazine critic commented: 'You will hear more about a satiric chanteuse named Carol Channing.'
She said later: 'That was it. I said goodbye to trigonometry, zoology and English literature.'
For several years she worked as an understudy, bit player and nightclub impressionist, taking jobs as a model, receptionist and sales clerk during lean times.
Landing in Los Angeles, she auditioned for Marge Champion, wife and dance partner of Gower Champion who was putting together a revue, 'Lend an Ear.'
Channing married four times, including a four-decade union with TV producer Charles Lowe (pictured), which she claimed was abusive as she filed for divorce in 1998
Channing had a limited film career (pictured left in The First Traveling Saleslady), but did get an Oscar nomination for Thoroughly Modern Millie. She won a Tony special award in 1968 (right), and in 1995 accepted a Tony for lifetime achievement
Marge Champion recalled: 'She certainly was awkward and odd-looking, but her warmth and wholesomeness came through.'
Channing was the hit of 'Lend an Ear' in a small Hollywood theater, and she captivated audiences and critics when the show moved to New York.
As the innocent gold digger in the musical 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,' her stardom was assured.
One reviewer reported she 'hurls across the footlights in broad strokes of pantomime and bold, certain, exquisitely comical gestures.'
The show's hit song, 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend,' became her signature number.
Over and over again she returned to the surefire 'Hello, Dolly,' which earned her $5 million on one tour.
She considered Dolly Levi 'a role as deep as Lady Macbeth,' but added that 'the essence of her character was her unquenchable thirst for life.'
That description fit Carol Channing, who attributed her sunny optimism to her lifelong faith in Christian Science.
Others who have played the role include Pearl Bailey, Phillis Diller, Betty Grable, Ethel Merman, Martha Raye, Ginger Rogers and Barbra Streisand, who played Dolly in a 1969 film version directed by Gene Kelly.
Bette Midler won a Tony Award in the role in 2017.
Channing had two early marriages that ended in divorce - to novelist Theodore Naidish and pro footballer Alexander Carson, father of her only child.
Her son became a successful political cartoonist.
In 1956 she married a television producer, Charles Lowe, who seemed like the perfect mate for a major star.
He adopted Channing's son and supervised every aspect of her business affairs and appearances. He reportedly viewed every one of her performances from out front, leading the applause.
After 41 years of marriage, she sued for divorce in 1998, alleging that he misappropriated her funds and humiliated her in public. She remarked that they only had sex twice in four decades.
'The only thing about control freak victims is that they don't know who they are,' she told The Washington Post.
'It's taken me 77 years to figure that out. I was miserable. I was unhappy. And I didn't realize it wasn't my fault. But I'm going to survive. I'm going to live. I'm free.'
Lowe died after a stroke in 1999. Channing moved to Rancho Mirage near Palm Springs, California, in 2000 to write her memoirs.
She called the book 'Just Lucky, I Guess.'
Channing remarried in 2003 to Harry Kullijian, her childhood sweetheart from 70 years before. He died in 2011.
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https://hienalouca.com/2019/01/15/broadway-legend-carol-channing-has-died-at-the-age-of-97/
Main photo article Carol Channing, who helped define the golden age of Broadway with performances in Hello Dolly! and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, has died at the age of 97.
Channing passed away shortly after midnight on Tuesday at her home in Rancho Mirage, California, publicist B Harlan Boll said.
She died from ...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
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