Carol Channing , the Tony Award-winning performer and Broadway legend, died Tuesday at the age of 97. Upon hearing the news, tributes from fans and fellow performers began flooding in.
“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,” Channing’s publicist, B. Harlan Boll, said in a statement.
Throughout her decadeslong career, Channing brought some of Broadway’s most iconic characters ― like Lorelei Lee in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” and Dolly Gallagher Levi in “Hello, Dolly!” ― to life. The industry pioneer, as Boll called her, was truly unlike any other.
In honor of the star’s life, we’re looking back at the years of entertainment she provided for so many of us. Below, see some of the star’s most iconic ― and sparkly ― moments through the years:
Circa 1948-1949 Carol Channing performs in the play "Lend an Ear," which opened in 1948.
1949 Yvonne Adair (left) and Channing (right) wear beaded flapper dresses by Miles White with bobbed hair in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes."
1955 Channing in character as Trilby O'Farrell from the 1955 film "Svengali and the Blonde."
1956 Channing in character from the 1956 film "The First Traveling Saleslady."
Undated Channing performs at Palmer House.
1961 Channing combs her hair before the Tony Awards ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.
1965 Channing holds the reins of a horse on an Old West set during the shooting of her Emmy-winning television special "An Evening With Carol Channing," Aug. 12.
1965 Channing stands in traffic during the shooting of "An Evening With Carol Channing," Aug. 12.
1966 Channing and then-husband Charles Lowe attend a party in Los Angeles.
1966 A portrait of the actress, circa 1966.
1967 Channing performs in a scene from the Universal Studios movie "Thoroughly Modern Millie," circa 1967.
1967 Channing in Denver, sometime in 1967.
1967 From left to right: Mary Tyler Moore as Miss Dorothy Brown, Julie Andrews as Millie Dillmount, and Channing as Muzzy Van Hossmere, in a promotional portrait for "Thoroughly Modern Millie," directed by George Roy Hill, 1967.
1968 Channing, circa 1968.
1968 Channing attends the 1968 Academy Awards.
1968 Channing stands outside the Mermaid Theatre in London's Blackfriars, June 7.
1969 Channing performs in the TV special "Carol Channing Presents the Seven Deadly Sins."
1969 Channing performs in the TV special "Carol Channing Presents the Seven Deadly Sins."
1969 Channing performs in the TV special "Carol Channing Presents the Seven Deadly Sins."
1970 Channing poses for a photo in September 1970.
1972 Channing performs during halftime of Super Bowl VI on Jan. 16, between the Miami Dolphins and the Dallas Cowboys at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans.
Circa 1974 Channing attends the National Ballet of Canada Opening Party at Waldorf Towers in New York City.
1978 Channing attends Fight For Sight Benefit Gala on May 21 at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
1980 Channing during the 34th Tony Awards Party at The Hilton Hotel in New York City.
Undated Channing in a scene from the revival tour of the stage musical "Hello, Dolly!"
1987 The actress attends the 1987 St. Jude Gala at Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, California.
1987 Channing, with comedian George Burns, attends the UJA-Federation of New York Annual Awards Gala on Sept. 27, 1987, at The Pierre Hotel in New York City.
1987 Channing attends the American Jewish Committee Awards Gala on Oct. 25 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills.
1988 Channing seen at Spago restaurant in West Hollywood on Dec. 3.
1989 Channing attends the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Television Hall of Fame Gala on Jan. 8 at 20th Century Fox Studios in Century City, California.
1995 Channing attends the "Hello, Dolly!" Broadway opening night party at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City.
Undated An undated photo of Channing in a sequin dress.
2002 Channing attends the 2002 Tony Awards Party on June 2 in Los Angeles.
2003 Channing attends the Women of Los Angeles "Hope Is A Woman" luncheon at The Four Seasons Hotel on May 21 in Beverly Hills.
2003 Channing attends the "100 Years of Al Hirschfeld: A Celebration" memorial and theater renaming June 23 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in New York City.
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Broadway Legend Carol Channing Dead At 97
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