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'South Pacific' star Mitzi Gaynor dies at 93

By Jessica Inman
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Mitzi Gaynor, pictured at the Opening Night Gala of the TCM Classic Film Festival in 2013, has died. She was 93. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
Mitzi Gaynor, pictured at the Opening Night Gala of the TCM Classic Film Festival in 2013, has died. She was 93. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Mitzi Gaynor, an actress known for South Pacific and her film roles alongside Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra, has died. She was 93.

Her management team shared the news in a statement posted to social media Thursday morning.

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The duo said Gaynor died of "natural causes."

"For eight decades she entertained audiences in films, on television and on the stage," the post reads. "She truly enjoyed every moment of her professional career and the great privilege of being an entertainer."

In South Pacific, Gaynor portrayed U.S. Navy nurse Nellie Forbush. She became well-known for her performance of the song "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair."

Her other film credits included Anything Goes (1956) with Bing Crosby, Les Girls (1957) and The Joker is Wild (1957) with Frank Sinatra.

She starred alongside Zsa Zsa Gabor and Marilyn Monroe in We're Not Married! (1952), and reunited with Monroe in There's No Business Like Show Business (1954).

Gaynor also headlined several TV specials for CBS.

"Off stage, she was a vibrant and extraordinary woman, a caring and loyal friend, and a warm, gracious, very funny and altogether glorious human being. And she could cook, too!" Gaynor's management team said.

"As we celebrate her legacy, we offer our thanks to her friends and fans and the countless audiences she entertained throughout her long life," the statement continues. "Your love, support and appreciation meant so very much to her and was a sustaining gift in her life. She often noted that her audiences were the 'the sunshine of my life.' You truly were."

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