'Munsters' Star Yvonne De Carlo Dies

[Bling]

Yvonne De Carlo, the film and television actress best known for her vampire character Lily Munster on the classic 1960s sitcom "The Munsters," has died.

She was 84.

De Carlo died of natural causes Monday at the Motion Picture and Television facility near Los Angeles, said longtime friend and television producer Kevin Burns said Wednesday.

"The Munsters" lasted from 1964-1966, but it had a long life in syndication and resulted in two feature movies, "Munster Go Home!" (1966) and "The Munsters' Revenge" (1981, for television). She'll forever be Herman Munster's (Fred Gwynne) beloved wife, who stood by the bumbling Frankenstein's monster through all his misadventures.

"I think she will best remembered as the definitive Lily Munster," Burns said. "She was the vampire mom to millions of baby boomers. In that sense, she's iconic."

Along with "The Munsters," De Carlo is also remembered for playing the wife of Moses in the epic motion picture "The Ten Commandments."

She also had roles in "McClintock," opposite John Wayne; "A Global Affair" with Bob Hope; "American Gothic" with Rod Steiger and "Oscar" with Sylvester Stallone.

De Carlo was born Peggy Yvonne Middleton in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Sept. 1, 1922. Her shapely figure helped launch her career in B-movie desert adventures and Westerns in the 1950s.

Later, she had a key role in a landmark Broadway musical, Stephen Sondheim's "Follies."

The actress was able to sustain a long career by repeatedly reinventing herself. A longtime student of voice, she sang opera at the Hollywood Bowl, and when movie roles became scarce, she ventured into stage musicals.

De Carlo's death comes less than a year after the death of Al Lewis, who played Grandpa on the "The Munsters." Gwynne died in 1993.

De Carlo married stuntman Bob Morgan in 1955 which produced two sons, Bruce and Michael.

After highly publicized splits and reconcilations, the marriage ended in divorce in 1968.

Michael died in 1997, and De Carlo suffered a stroke the following year.

http://www.nbc6.net/entertainment/10715464/detail.html