Jane Powell, the legendary actor who shot to fame in Hollywood's Golden Age, has died aged 92.
As reported by The Independent, the sad news was confirmed by the star's longtime friend, Susan Granger. Powell reportedly died on Thursday, September 16, at her home in Wilton, Connecticut.
Her cause of death is said to be natural causes.
Speaking to Deadline, Granger said that Powell died peacefully in the house she shared for many years with her late husband and fellow actor Dick Moore. Moore passed away in 2015.
Powell - born Suzanne Lorraine Burce - rose to fame during the 1940s, starring in classic MGM movies and musicals.
According to her 1988 book, The Girl Next Door... And How She Grew, Powell's talent for singing had been spotted by her neighbors while she was living in Banbury Cross, Portland, as a child. Her neighbors would encourage Powell, and even pooled their money together to pay for singing lessons for the future star.
At the age of 15, she starred in her first movie, Song of the Open Road (1944), in which, MGM assigned her the character name of 'Jane Powell'. She later adopted the name as her stage name.
Just a year later, she would sing 'Because' at the wedding of stars Esther Williams and Ben Gage.
By the end of the decade, she had starred in the MGM movies Delightfully Dangerous, Holiday in Mexico, Three Daring Daughters, A Date with Judy, and Luxury Liner. She even sang 'Buttons and Bows' at the Inaugural Ball of President Harry S. Truman.
In 1951, she starred alongside Fred Astaire and Peter Lawford in the beloved musical comedy Royal Wedding. Then, in 1954, Powell starred in perhaps the most high-profile role: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, as Milly Pontipee.
She followed this up with another successful appearance opposite Tony Martin in 1955's Hit The Deck.
Powell's final credited TV role came in 2002, in which she played a nursing home resident suffering from elder abusein Law and Order: SVU.
The legendary star is survived by her children, Geary Anthony Steffen III, Suzanne Steffen, and Lindsay Cavalli, and granddaughters Skye Cavalli and Tia Cavalli.
Our thoughts are with Powell's family, friends, and fans at this time.
