Marilyn King, Last of the Popular King Sisters Vocal Group
King was also a composer, lyricist and arranger and appeared on numerous television series as both a singer and an actress.
Marilyn King, the youngest and last surviving member of the popular vocal group The King Sisters, died August 7, 2013, in Laguna Niguel, California. She was 82.
According to news reports, the cause was cancer.
Originally from Utah, the King Sisters began in 1931, as a quartet comprised of sisters Luise, Alyce, Donna and Yvonne. Marilyn began substituting for her siblings in her early teens, in the heart of the Big Band era. She officially joined the group in 1951.
The sisters appeared in many feature films and released more than 150 records for labels including Blue Bird, RCA Victor, Capitol and Warner Bros. throughout the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s.
From 1965-1969, the expanding family starred in the ABC variety series The King Family Show. They also made 17 King Family holiday specials over the years.
As an actress, King appeared in various stage productions, worked as a voice-over artist and contributed vocals to the 1965 feature film The Sound of Music.
In addition, on television, she appeared regularly on the variety Ford Time and had appeared on programs as The Ed Sullivan Show, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, M*A*S*H, The Hollywood Palace and The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries.
More about King's life and work is available at: