Broadway star Carol Channing has died at the age of 97 of natural causes.
The actress and singer was best known for starring in the musicals Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Hello Dolly.
The daughter of newspaper editor George Channing and his wife Adelaide, Channing was born in January 1921 and grew up in Seattle, Washington.
She dropped out of Bennington University after a year and moved to New York, making her on-stage debut in Never Take No for an Answer in 1941.
She got her big break playing Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes on stage in 1949, as her performance of the song Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend became extremely well known.
This performance in particular made Channing famous in theatre world, leading to castings in Wonderful Town and The Vamp.
Channing received a lifetime achievement award at the Tony's in 1995 after a Broadway career of over 40 years.
She famously wore a red AIDS ribbon and matching lipstick, as a tribute to the LGBT community, of whom she was a huge advocate.
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Channing also had significant Hollywood success, earning a supporting actress Golden Globe for the 1967 film Thoroughly Modern Millie.
Her publicist said it was with "extreme heartache" that she announced "the passing of an original industry pioneer, legend and icon".
"I admired her before I met her, and have loved her since the day she stepped. or fell rather, into my life," B. Harlan Boll added.
"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."
She dropped out of Bennington University after a year and moved to New York, making her on-stage debut in Never Take No for an Answer in 1941.
She got her big break playing Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes on stage in 1949, as her performance of the song Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend became extremely well known.
This performance in particular made Channing famous in theatre world, leading to castings in Wonderful Town and The Vamp.
Channing received a lifetime achievement award at the Tony's in 1995 after a Broadway career of over 40 years.
She famously wore a red AIDS ribbon and matching lipstick, as a tribute to the LGBT community, of whom she was a huge advocate.
Share this story
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