Vivian Blaine was an American actress and singer, best known for originating the role of Miss Adelaide in the musical theater production of Guys and Dolls, as well as appearing in the subsequent film version. She was also a popular nightclub performer and a film star in the 1940s and 1950s. But how did Vivian Blaine die? Here is what we know about her cause of death and her life.
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Vivian Blaine’s Early Life and Career
Vivian Blaine was born as Vivian Stapleton on November 21, 1921, in Newark, New Jersey. She started performing on local stages as early as 1934 and began touring with dance bands after graduating from high school. In 1942, she signed a contract with Twentieth Century-Fox and moved to Hollywood, where she starred in several musical comedies, such as Jitterbugs (1943), Greenwich Village (1944), Something for the Boys (1944), Nob Hill (1945), and State Fair (1945). According to Wikipedia, she was also the top-billed act at New York’s Copacabana nightclub in the 1940s.
Vivian Blaine’s Broadway and Film Success
In 1950, Vivian Blaine made her Broadway debut as Miss Adelaide, the long-suffering, perpetually engaged chorus girl, in the Frank Loesser musical Guys and Dolls. She reprised her role in the first UK production, the first Las Vegas production, and the 1955 film version, co-starring with Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, and Frank Sinatra. She received critical acclaim and public recognition for her performance, which became her signature role. She also appeared in other Broadway shows, such as Say, Darling (1958), Enter Laughing (1963), and Company (1971).
Vivian Blaine’s Personal Life and Death
Vivian Blaine was married three times in her life. Her first husband was Manny Franks, her agent and manager, whom she married in 1945 and divorced in 1956. Her second husband was Milton Rackmil, the president of Universal-International Pictures and Decca Records, whom she married in 1959 and divorced in 1961. Her third and last husband was Stuart Clark, a Los Angeles businessman, whom she married in 1973. She had no children of her own, but she was a stepmother to Clark’s two sons.
Vivian Blaine died of pneumonia on December 9, 1995, at the age of 74, in New York City. She was also suffering from congestive heart failure, according to Dead or Kicking. She was buried at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York, in the Actors Fund Plot. She left behind a legacy of entertainment and a loyal fan base, who still remember her as the charming and talented Miss Adelaide.
