Hollywood Legend Doris Day Dies at 97

Hollywood legendary actress Doris Day, the film icon with the voice of an angel, has sadly passed away. Her death comes a little over a month after she celebrated her 97th birthday.

According to People, the actress died at around 1:00 a.m. on Monday, May 13 inside her home in California. She was surrounded by friends and family and went peacefully.

Born Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff, all of her grandparents were German immigrants. She was the youngest of three siblings; she had two older brothers: Richard (who died before she was born) and Paul, who was a few years older.

She is best known for starring in a number of dramas and musicals in the 1950s and 60s, including Calamity Jane, Love Me or Leave Me, and The Man Who Knew Too Much, with leading men like Rock Hudson, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, and James Garner.

She also had an incredible voice and recorded albums, which did very well, making her one of the top 10 singers between 1951 and 1966 and even releasing her 29th studio album, My Heart, in 2011.

In later years, she was mostly known for her animal activism, though her love for helping animals dated back to her teen years. In 1978, she founded the Doris Day Pet Foundation.

In 1987, she formed the Doris Day Animal League (DDAL), a national non-profit citizen’s lobbying organization. Their mission is to reduce pain and suffering and protect animals through legislative initiatives.