Actress Carol Channing died at the age of 97. Channing became world famous with her rendition of coupler Dolly Levi in the hit musical Hello Dolly !. For this role the actress received a Tony Award in 1964. The American returned to the role several times in her career.
Her great breakthrough came fifteen years earlier when she played the role of Lorelei in the musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. She sang the famous song Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, the song that was later performed in the film version by Marilyn Monroe.
Although she mainly focused on theater and musical, Channing was also seen in a considerable number of films and series. In 1967 she received an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe for her role in the romantic comedy Thoroughly Modern Millie.
The actress continued to work until her old age; her career spans seven decades. Her great achievements for the American cultural world were awarded with various oeuvre prizes. In 1981 Channing was added to the prestigious American Theater Hall of Fame and in 1995 the actress received a Lifetime Tony Award. She wrote an autobiography, Just Lucky I Guess, and a documentary about her work and life was made, Larger than Life.
Channing married four times in all. The longest marriage was with her manager Charles Lowe, with whom she had been married for 42 years. In 1998, Channing asked for a divorce; Lowe died before it was confirmed by the judge. The actress accused her husband that she had mistreated him emotionally and had not properly managed her finances.
Channing died of the effects of multiple strokes she had over the past year.
Ach… Carol Channing is niet meer. De enige échte Dolly (sorry Willeke, sorry Bette). Een legende! En een fantastische comédienne! Gelukkig heb ik haar nog kunnen bewonderen.https://t.co/x0Ja5wM4NY pic.twitter.com/JoWaS0RWSx
— 𝑱𝒐𝒏 𝒗𝒂𝒏 𝑬𝒆𝒓𝒅 (@jonvaneerd) January 15, 2019
#rip to a Broadway legend #CarolChanning pic.twitter.com/pkvLikBoRt
— Loni Love (@LoniLove) January 15, 2019