CAROL CHANNING DIES
Carol Channing, who had a singing and acting career that spanned more than six decades, died Tuesday at age 97. Her most memorable role was the lead in “Hello, Dolly!”
Carol Channing titled her 2002 memoir “Just Lucky I Guess.” But luck was only a minor player in the morethan-six-decade career enjoyed by the singer/actress, who died early Tuesday at 97 in Rancho Mirage, California.
Publicist B. Harlan Boll, who confirmed her death, said the actress died of natural causes after suffering two strokes last year.
“It is with extreme heartache, that I have to announce the passing of an original industry pioneer, legend and icon: Miss Carol Channing,” he said 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.”
Channing’s quirky charm and irrepressible spirit were the true keys to her success and survival. Her voice was anything but mellifluous, but the contrast between its deep, hoarse tone – which deepened and hoarsened as she aged – and her eternally girlish delivery inspired more affectionate mimicry than mockery. Her star-making performance of “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” in the 1949 Broadway musical “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” paved the way for flirty, flamboyant blondes from Marilyn Monroe (who performed the number on screen) to Madonna.
Channing’s persona, too, defied the passing of time. She remained wideeyed and coquettish, and resolutely cheerful – a trouper in the truest sense, exuding both street savvy and an enduring sense of wonder. Those qualities served her well in her most famous role, that of Dolly Levi in the classic Jerry Herman musical “Hello, Dolly!” Channing originated the role in 1964 and reprised it twice on Broadway and repeatedly on tour.
The original production earned Channing a Tony Award; she beat out a rising star named Barbra Streisand, who would eventually play Dolly in the film version of the musical. Channing also received a special Tony in 1968 and in 1995 was granted the Lifetime Achievement honor for her body of Broadway work, which also included “Lend An Ear,” “Wonderful Town,” “The Vamp” and “Lorelei.”
Channing’s film credits included “The First Traveling Saleslady” and “Thoroughly Modern Millie.”