Sunday, July 5, 2026

RIP: The Original Dolly Levi, Sparkling Broadway Legend Carol Channing, Dies at Age 97

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Long before Bette Midler charged thousands of dollars to see her on Broadway, there was an original Dolly Levi. Carol Channing, who created the role in 1964, has died at age 97. Her sparkling personality let her transcend Broadway. Channing was a regular on talk shows, and often toured with George Burns or Jack Benny.

I was lucky enough as a teenager to see her and Benny perform once, and they were magic. She had a sly sense of humor that belied wide, innocent looking eyes. (She could bat an eyelash, that’s for sure.)

There aren’t many legends left. But Carol Channing sure was one. You can bet they’ll be dimming the lights on Broadway tonight.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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