Mitzi Gaynor, Star of ‘South Pacific’ & Las Vegas Entertainer, Dies at 93
Mitzi Gaynor was an incredible singer, dancer and actress, best known for her work in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. In fact, she was so popular in the ’60s that she received the top billing over the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. Now it has been reported that she passed away of natural causes on Oct. 17, 2024, at the age of 93.
Her management team confirmed the news with a statement: “As we celebrate her legacy, we offer our thanks to her friends and fans and the countless audiences she entertained throughout her long life. Your love, support and appreciation meant so very much to her and was a sustaining gift in her life. She often noted that her audiences were ‘the sunshine of my life.’ You truly were. We take great comfort in the fact that her creative legacy will endure through her many magical performances captured on film and video, through her recordings and especially through the love and support audiences around the world have shared so generously with her throughout her life and career. Please keep Mitzi in your thoughts and prayers.”
20th Century-Fox Film Corporation/Everett Collection
Gaynor was best known for films such as My Blue Heaven (1950), No Business Like Show Business (1954), South Pacific (1958) and For Love or Money (1963). She quit making movies in the ’60s when she was just in her early 30s, as she felt Hollywood was leaving her behind. She moved to Las Vegas, partnered with her husband/manager Jack Bean (they were married until his death in 2006) and began performing at the famous Flamingo Hotel.
David Livingston/Getty Images
She went on to headline six annual specials for CBS and earned an Emmy for her PBS special Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle! The Special Years. During her years of performing, she had a special collaboration with famed costume designer Bob Mackie, as she was his first client. She received a Legacy Award from the Cinecon Classic Film Festival in Hollywood in 2022. May she rest in peace.
1950s Musicals
November 2020
Bright and brassy, toe-tapping musicals from the 1950s
Buy This Issue