Very sad news in the entertainment world today...
Carol Channing, a Broadway legend who was known for her signature lead role in Hello, Dolly! and continued performing well into her 90s, has died of natural causes at her home in Rancho Mirage, CA. She was 97.
A native of Seattle, Channing’s distinctively gravelly enunciation, lanky, energetic frame and carefree laugh marked her many decades in show business. Along with her remarkable 4,500 performances in the title role of Hello, Dolly!, she appeared in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Vamp and Lorelei.
On movie screens, she received Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for her performance in Thoroughly Modern Millie and also appeared in the films Skidoo and The First Traveling Saleslady. On television, she appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and the Hollywood Squares.
A hit from its opening night in 1964, Hello, Dolly! went on to win 10 Tony Awards, and Channing won for Best Actress in a Musical. Channing would make her final Broadway appearance in a 1995 revival of the show.
“Performing is the only excuse for my existence,” she said at the time. “What can be better than this?”
She was an iconic personality and had a very long and successful career doing something show loved. We should all be so lucky.
She will be missed.
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