Songbook Foundation mourns passing of Mitzi Gaynor
10/17/2024 12AM
Star performer was inducted into Songbook Hall of Fame in 2017
CARMEL, Ind. – The Great American Songbook Foundation is deeply saddened by the passing of Mitzi Gaynor, the Emmy Award-winning actress, performer and trailblazer of the golden age of movie musicals. She died today in Los Angeles at age 93.
The Foundation inducted Gaynor into its Songbook Hall of Fame in 2017, and she donated her collection of musical arrangements and memorabilia from her legendary career to its Songbook Library & Archives.
Gaynor carved her own path as a triple-threat singer, dancer and actress, and she blazed trails for women in the recording industry, said Christopher Lewis, executive director of the Great American Songbook Foundation.
“Mitzi Gaynor had a spark that made her stand out in every role, whether on film, on television or on a Las Vegas stage, and we saw that in person when she visited for her Hall of Fame induction,” Lewis said. “We are touched and honored by her generosity and look forward to celebrating her indelible legacy for years to come.”
About the Great American Songbook Foundation
The mission of the Great American Songbook Foundation, founded in 2007 by five-time Grammy® Award nominee Michael Feinstein, is to inspire and educate by celebrating the foundational era of American popular music. Headquartered at the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana, the Foundation advances this rich legacy by curating physical artifacts of its creators, performers and publishers in the Songbook Library & Archives; operating a multimedia exhibit gallery; overseeing the Songbook Hall of Fame; offering programs for the public and research opportunities for scholars and artists; and providing educational opportunities for student musicians, including the annual Songbook Academy® summer intensive. The Foundation is a Cultural Affiliate of the Los Angeles-based Grammy Museum®. More information is available at TheSongbook.org.
