Actress June Haver dies at 79

BRENTWOOD, Calif., July 6 (UPI) -- Actress and singer June Haver, who left Hollywood to join a convent and later married actor Fred MacMurray, died at her Brentwood, Calif., home at 79.

Haver died of respiratory failure Monday, family members told the Los Angeles Times.

Born in Rock Island, Ill., and once groomed as the next Betty Grable, Haver appeared in 15 movies including "Irish Eyes are Smiling" and "The Girl Next Door."

Haver met MacMurray in 1945 on the set of "Where Do We Go From Here?"

In the 1950s, Haver broke her $3,500-a-week contract with 20th Century Fox to be a novice nun in Xavier, Kan. She left the convent eight months later, saying she could not withstand the physical strain of religious life.

She married MacMurray in 1954 and never acted again. Their 37-year union lasted until his death and included the run of his popular TV show "My Three Sons."

Haver was so upbeat that friends greeted her with, "Cheer down, June," the newspaper reported.