The past year has seen the deaths of a number of beloved figures from the showbiz sphere, ranging from folks known for their work on the big screen to those who made their names via work for the small screen. Sadly, we have the passing of another performer to report. Rose Marie, who is best-known for her work on The Dick Van Dyke Show, has died.
Rose Marie was 94 years old at the time of her death, which was confirmed to Variety by publicist Harlan Boll. Her career spanned nine decades and took her through a number of different eras, and we can be sure that she'll be remembered well for her work. She's survived by her daughter and son-in-law. Although Rose Marie kicked off her career back in the 1920s as a child singing star, it wouldn't be until she landed a major role on The Dick Van Dyke Show in 1960 that the world got to experience her comedy chops.
On The Dick Van Dyke Show, Rose Marie played a character by the name of Sally Rogers who was a writer for the fictional Alan Brady Show. Along with Dick Van Dyke as Rob Petrie and Mary Tyler Moore as Laura Petrie, Rose Marie helped build a show that would ultimately go down as one of the most unforgettable sitcoms in television history. Audiences and critics responded well to her as Sally Rogers, as Rose Marie was nominated for an Emmy no fewer than three times for her work on The Dick Van Dyke Show, which ran for five seasons.
Fortunately for viewers everywhere, Rose Marie had the right kind of variety show experience prior to landing The Dick Van Dyke Show that made her a triple threat on the small screen. She could sing, she could dance, and she had the comedic timing that few performers are able to achieve. In fact, she was singing and dancing in the very first episode of the series in a performance you can see below:
Much of Rose Marie's life was spent in the spotlight. She was starring in her own radio show for NBC by the time she was 5-years-old. She had vaudeville appearances and record contributions to her name very early in life, and she went on to become a nightclub singer as a teenager. Singing evidently wasn't all that she wanted, however, as she went back to radio to pursue her love for comedy. It was in the 1950s that she hit the variety circuit to show off her singing and dancing in a whole new way.
Prior to starting on The Dick Van Dyke Show, her biggest TV gigs had been a recurring role on The Bob Cummings Show and a regular role on the short-lived TV adaptation of My Sister Eileen. In the years after the end of The Dick Van Dyke Show, Rose Marie would appear in a number of shows, including Adam-12, Kojak, S.W.A.T., The Love Boat, Cagney and Lacey, Murphy Brown, Caroline in the City, and Suddenly, Susan.
Our thoughts here at CinemaBlend are with Rose Marie's friends, family, and loved ones in what must be a difficult time. If you're now in the mood to see Rose Marie as Sally Rogers, you can find all five seasons of The Dick Van Dyke Show streaming on Netflix and Hulu. Check out our midseason TV premiere guide and our 2018 Netflix premiere schedule for your additional viewing options in the coming weeks.
