singer

“It takes a lot of money to look this cheap”

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Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean (1946-2026) was an American musician, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman. After achieving success as a songwriter for other artists, her debut album, Hello, I’m Dolly, was released in 1967, beginning a career spanning 60 years and 50 studio albums.

Known as the “Queen of Country”, she was one of the most-honored female country performers and received various accolades, including 11 Grammy Awards, three Emmy Awards and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, along with nominations for two Academy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award.

Parton sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists ever. Her music includes Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)-certified gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards. She had 25 singles reach No. 1 on the Billboard country music charts, tied with Reba McEntire for the most by a female artist. She had 44 career Top 10 country albums, a record for any artist, and 110 career-charted singles over 40 years. Her 49th and final solo studio album, Rockstar (2023), became her highest-charting Billboard 200 album, peaking at number three.

Parton composed more than 3,000 songs, including “I Will Always Love You” (a two-time U.S. country chart-topper and an international hit for Whitney Houston that sold 40 million copies worldwide), “Jolene”, “Coat of Many Colors” and “9 to 5”. As an actress, she starred in 9 to 5 (1980) and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), earning Golden Globe nominations for both, as well as Rhinestone (1984), Steel Magnolias (1989), Straight Talk (1992), and Joyful Noise (2012).

Parton died in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 25, 2026, at age 80

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actress and singer Gale Robbins (1921-1980)

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Gale Robbins was a knockout-looking hazel-eyed redhead who made a modest dent in post-war Hollywood films. Gale had a natural flair for music and appeared in glee clubs and church choirs in the early days. She graduated from her Chicago high school in 1939.

She started out in entertainment as a model in Chicago, but her singing talents soon took over. Signed by a talent agency, she sang with Phil Levant’s outfit in 1940 and later teamed with some male singers for a swing band that called themselves “The Duchess and Her Dukes.”

20th Century-Fox spotted her while she was singing for Ben Bernie’s outfit and quickly signed her up, her first film being the pleasant time-filler In the Meantime, Darling (1944). A semi-popular cheesecake pin-up, Gale appeared on the cover of “Yank, The Army Weekly” in 1944, was heard on radio, and toured with Bob Hope in Europe the next year. Her post-war parts, mostly sultry second leads, were typically lightweight in nature. She was often lent out to other studios and not always in a singing mode. Gale’s better known film work includes Race Street (1948), The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), Three Little Words (1950), The Fuller Brush Girl (1950) and Calamity Jane (1953).

Gale went on to host the Hollywood House (1949) and also appeared on The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950). In the late 50s she released an easy-listening album (“I’m a Dreamer”) for the Vik Label backed by Eddie Cano & His Orchestra. She covered such standards as “Them There Eyes” and “What Is This Thing Called Love.” After her final film appearance in Quantrill’s Raiders (1958) and a few additional TV parts on such programs as “Bourbon Street Beat,” “77 Sunset Strip,” “The Untouchables,” “Perry Mason” and “Mister Ed,” Gale phased out her career in 1972 to focus full-time on raising her family.

She passed away at 58 from Lung Cancer

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Rhonda Fleming (Marilyn Louis 1923-2020)

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She acted in more than 40 films, mostly in the 1940s and 1950s, and became renowned as one of the most glamorous actresses of her day, nicknamed the “Queen of Technicolor” because she photographed so well in that medium with her fair complexion, bright red hair, and green eyes

She was discovered by the well-known Hollywood agent Henry Willson, who changed her name from Marilyn Louis to Rhonda Fleming. She said later, “It’s so weird … He stopped me crossing the street. It kinda scared me a little bit – I was only 16 or 17. He signed me to a seven-year contract without a screen test. It was a Cinderella story, but those things could happen in those days.”

After having bit parts in In Old Oklahoma (1943), Since You Went Away (1944), and When Strangers Marry (1944), she received her first substantial role in the thriller Spellbound (1945), produced by Selznick and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. She later said, “Hitch told me I was going to play a nymphomaniac. I remember rushing home to look it up in the dictionary and being quite shocked.” The film was a success and Selznick offered her another good role in the thriller The Spiral Staircase (1946), directed by Robert Siodmak.

Selznick lent her to appear in supporting parts in the Randolph Scott Western Abilene Town (1946) at United Artists and the film noir classic Out of the Past (1947) with Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas at RKO, Bing Crosby in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1949), and Bob Hope in the hit film The Great Lover (1949)

Fleming died on October 14, 2020, due to complications from Aspiration Pneumonia. She was 97

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Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot (1934-2025)

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was a French actress, singer, model, and animal rights activist. She became one of the best-known symbols of the sexual revolution and gained international fame for portraying characters associated with hedonistic lifestyles. Although she withdrew from the entertainment industry in 1973, she remained a major pop culture icon. She appeared in 47 films, performed in several musicals, and recorded more than 60 songs. She was awarded the Legion of Honour in 1985.

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Linda Ronstadt (1946-) Retired singer/writer

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Known as the “Queen of Country-Rock” in the 1970s, her iconic voice and ability to adapt to diverse styles helped shape the music of the 70s and 80s.

Willie Nelson famously expressed his admiration for the legendary singer with the quote: “There are two types of men in this world: those who have a crush on Linda Ronstadt, and those who have never heard of her.”

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