Chitty Chitty Bang Bang star, 91, dies

SALLY Ann Howes, best known for starring in the children’s movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, has died at the age of 91.

In a statement on Twitter, nephew Toby Howes confirmed his “beloved aunty” died peacefully in her sleep in Florida.

“My brother and I thought Sally Ann might hold on until the Christmas screening of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as this would have greatly appealed to her mischievous side,” Mr Howes said.

Sally Ann played Truly Scrumptious in the 1968 film, which was co-written by Roald Dahl and based on the novel by the same name that was written by James Bond author Ian Fleming.

Her performance opposite Mary Poppins actor Dick Van Dyke in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang cemented her legacy in film history.

While the movie did not perform well at the box office, it has become a classic beloved by generations and was adapted into a stage production in the early 2000s.

As Truly Scrumptious, the love interest of Van Dyke’s widow inventor character, Sally Ann was a radiant presence on screen. The iconic scene in which Sally Ann is disguised as a wind-up music doll was filmed in a single take despite its challenging timing.

“That’s my favourite,” Mr Howes recalled in an interview with Rosie O’Donnell.

“It’s the most difficult thing in the whole world, I really was very proud of it because each move was on a tick, tick, tick, tick.

“I did it on the set and I was a bit nervous about it because it was a huge thing with about 150 extras and everything and they put me up on this little box and off I went, and I got it in one!”