“South Pacific’s” Mitzi Gaynor dies

LOS ANGELES - Mitzi Gaynor, a beloved star of the 1950s whose effervescent personality, radiant personality and triple-threat skills as an actress, singer and dancer earned her a Golden Globe nomination for her role as Ensign Nellie Forbush in the 1958 film adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific has died at 93.

The star’s managers announced her death in an Instagram post, noting that she “passed away peacefully” on Thursday (Oct. 17). “For eight decades she entertained audiences in films, on television and on the stage,” read the announcement.

Her biggest success came in 1958’s South Pacific, based on the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical of the same name. She starred as the lead, Nellie Forbush, and performed songs like “I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy” and "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair.”

The role was hotly contested, with Elizabeth Taylor and Doris Day also vying for the part. Gaynor told the TV Foundation in 2012 that she felt she won out because she was happy to audition for the role, while others didn’t want to test for it.

South Pacific became the highest-grossing film of the year, and Gaynor received a Golden Globe nomination for the role.

Mitzi Gaynor died of natural causes in Los Angeles.