Mitzi Gaynor, the legendary singer, dancer, and actress known for roles in movie musicals like South Pacific passed away today.
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Her management team announced her death this morning, citing natural causes. Gaynor was 93 years old.
“As we celebrate her legacy, we offer our thanks to her friends and fans and the countless audiences she entertained throughout her long life,” Rene Reyes and Shane Rosamonda of Gaynor’s MGMT team wrote in the statement.
They added: “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.”
— Mitzi Gaynor (@TheMitziGaynor) October 17, 2024
Born Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber in Chicago on September 4, 1931, Gaynor rose to national prominence in the early 1950s as a leading star in Hollywood’s vibrant new wave of musicals. Notable films from this era include There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954), Anything Goes (1956), featuring Bing Crosby, and Les Girls (1957) alongside Gene Kelly.
In the same year that Les Girls was released, Gaynor also starred opposite Frank Sinatra in The Joker Is Wild.
Mitzi Gaynor Lands Her Signature Role
However, her defining role emerged in 1958 when she was cast as Nellie Forbush in the film adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific. In her Golden Globe-nominated performance, Gaynor delivered one of the musical’s most beloved numbers: “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair.”
She also ventured into television, appearing as a guest on The Ed Sullivan Show, the same program where The Beatles made their second U.S. TV appearance. Seventy million viewers ended up tuning in.
She made appearances on variety shows hosted by renowned figures such as Frank Sinatra, Donald O’Connor, Jack Benny, Danny Thomas, and Perry Como.
Gaynor also featured in a series of extravagant hit TV specials, where she showcased her singing and dancing talents. However, she also playfully reminded audiences that she was always in on the joke.
“I won’t do a number unless I can have a good time doing it,” she insisted, per CBS News.
Gaynor was also a renowned nightclub and Vegas performer. She famously had a record-breaking show at the Flamingo Hotel in 1961, making her the highest-paid female entertainer in the city. She continued performing in Vegas, nightclubs, and on tour throughout her life, including a tour from 2008 to 2011 titled Mitzi … Razzle Dazzle! My Life Behind the Sequins.
Gaynor married Jack Bean, who would serve as both her husband and manager until his passing in 2006. The couple chose not to have children.