Paul McCartney pays tribute to Doris Day: “She was a true star”
One of the most recognisable and beloved stars of the 20th century, Doris Day, has died at age 97.
Day passed away on late Monday Australian Time at her home in California and was surrounded by close friends. This was confirmed by the Doris Day Animal Foundation in a statement.
“Day had been in excellent physical health for her age, until recently contracting a serious case of pneumonia, resulting in her death,” the statement read.
The foundation has also said that Day has requested “no funeral or memorial service and no grave marker”.
The singer and actress starred in movie dramas, musicals and romantic comedies and it was this range of films that made her one of the biggest stars in the 1950s and 1960s.
Paul McCartney, a friend, called Day: “A true star in more ways than one”.
“She had a heart of gold and was a very funny lady who I shared many laughs with,” he said in a statement.
“I will miss her but will always remember her twinkling smile and infectious laugh as well as the many great songs and movies she gave us. God bless Doris.”
Her 1976 tell-all book Doris Day: Her Own Story chronicled her life story, which included money troubles and three failed marriages.
“I have the unfortunate reputation of being Miss Goody Two-Shoes, America’s Virgin, and all that, so I’m afraid it’s going to shock some people for me to say this, but I staunchly believe no two people should get married until they have lived together,” she wrote.
Day never won an Academy Award for her work in film but was given a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004.