Bing Crosby and Kathryn Crosby | Source: Getty Images
The entertainment world is mourning the loss of a beloved figure. Kathryn Crosby, the widow of legendary singer Bing Crosby, has passed away at the age of 90.
Kathryn Crosby, beloved actress and widow of the legendary Bing Crosby, has passed away at 90. Kathryn left this world peacefully at around 9 p.m. last Friday, September 20, surrounded by her family at her Hillsborough, California, home. Per her family representative, her death was attributed to natural causes.
Bing Crosby and Kathryn Crosby at San Francisco’s Laguna Honda Hospital on December 22, 1975 | Source: Getty Images
The actress was born Olive Kathryn Grandstaff in West Columbia, Texas, in 1933. Her journey to Hollywood began like something out of a classic movie. After winning a beauty contest, she found herself with an opportunity most could only dream of—a screen test with none other than William Holden.
Kathryn launched her acting career under the name Kathryn Grant in 1953, just after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin. From the start, she appeared in small but memorable roles, including a part in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rear Window.”
Kathryn Grant Crosby at the Harlequin Theater on July 25, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia. | Source: Getty Images
But fate had more than just an acting career in store for her. While working as a columnist for her hometown newspaper, Kathryn landed an interview on the set of “White Christmas” in 1954. That’s where she first crossed paths with Bing Crosby, sparking a love story that would soon become the stuff of Hollywood legend.
Kathryn Crosby performs on stage with Bing Crosby in UK, on June 22, 1976. | Source: Getty Images
The couple married in 1957, but not without a few comedic hiccups along the way. “We kept meeting each other, and then we’d plan to get married, and he would have a kidney stone or something dreadful like that,” Kathryn humorously recalled in a 2014 interview.
Kathryn Crosby at Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, California, in 2003 | Source: Getty Images
Eventually, the two tied the knot in secret, marking the beginning of a life shared both on and off the screen. Though Kathryn stepped back from the spotlight after starring in films like the 1958 family adventure “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” and the 1959 crime-thriller “Anatomy of a Murder,” she still made memorable appearances with Bing and their children.
Bing Crosby, Kathryn, and their son Harry, 3, are shown after arriving from London, on August 25, 1961 | Source: Getty Images
Mostly in Bing’s beloved Christmas specials and “The Bing Crosby Show” in the 1960s. They were a family act, captivating audiences together with their warmth and charm.
