The actress, who performed under the stage name Kathryn Grant, had dozens of film credits to her name beginning in 1953 and lasting until 1979.
Kathryn Crosby, an actress and the widow of the late Bing Crosby, has died. She was 90 years old.
Publicist Harlan Boll confirms in a release shared with PEOPLE that Kathryn was “surrounded by her family” when she died of natural causes at her home in Hillsborough, California, on Friday, Sept. 20.
An actress who was born Olive Kathryn Grandstaff and went by the name Kathryn Grant, she first made several uncredited appearances in films throughout the early 1950s, including several of filmmaker Phil Karlson’s like The Phenix City Story, 5 Against the House and Tight Spot, all in 1955.
Soon after, Kathryn landed roles in movies like Mister Cory (1957) opposite Tony Curtis, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), Anatomy of a Murder (1959) with Jimmy Stewart and The Big Circus (1959). She also appeared in two more Karlson films: The Brothers Rico (1957) and Gunman’s Walk (1958).
She largely retired from the screen after 1979’s This Is the Life, making one final acting appearance in 2010’s Queen of the Lot, which also starred her and Bing’s daughter Mary Crosby.
Kathryn was married twice: first to Bing for 20 years, before his death in 1977 at age 74 from a heart attack, then to Maurice Sullivan from 2000 to 2010. The latter died in 2010 in a car accident that also left Kathryn with serious injuries.
The Texas native met Bing, who was 30 years her senior, while doing interviews for her column on the set of his 1954 film White Christmas. They married in a Las Vegas courthouse in 1957.
Bing and Kathryn went on to welcome three children: Harry Crosby III, an investment banker, in 1958, actress Mary in 1959 and Nathaniel Crosby, an amateur golfer, in 1961. (Bing also had four older sons: Gary, Dennis, Phillip and Lindsay Crosby, who are all deceased.)
After stepping away from acting, Kathryn hosted a Northern California morning talk show on KPIX-TV during the 1970s, per ABC News. The actress and mother of three also appeared on television Christmas specials with Bing and their kids.
Additionally, Kathryn became a teacher and registered nurse in 1963, per the release. She later wrote a memoir published in 1983 following her first husband’s death, titled My Life With Bing.
Kathryn’s former publicist Tom Madden shared a blog post following her death on Sunday, Sept. 22, remembering her as “one of my all-time favorite clients, who had become a dear friend.”
“When in Manhattan occasionally we had her stay at our apartment enjoying every moment she was with us, as she was always full of stories about all the movie stars and celebrities, she and her famous husband entertained during the exciting life they had together,” Madden recalled.
He also raved about how “regal” Kathryn looked, explaining, “It was fun taking her to interviews in the city as we’d be on an elevator together and whenever people came on those elevators we were riding, they couldn’t help staring at her almost like they were in the presence of royalty.”
“When I met Kathryn, it was her charm and beauty that captured me, and it was my greatest pleasure to book her on shows and bring her to interviews on which she would tell charming stories that brought back fond memories,” Madden added.
Kathryn is survived by her three children and several grandchildren, per the release.
