Dolores Hope, the widow of comedian Bob Hope, died Monday morning at her Toluca Lake, Calif. home, according to multiple reports. She was 102 years old.
Born Dolores DeFina, she married Hope in 1934, and the two remained wed until the comedian's passing in 2003.
According to People, the two met when Bob Hope wandered into a Manhattan nightclub where singer Dolores — then known professionally as Dolores Reade — was performing.
Upon hearing Reade perform "It's Only a Paper Moon," Hope reportedly turned to his companion, dancer George Murphy, and told him, "I'm going to marry her."
The pair had four children — Tony, Linda, Kelly and Nora. Though Dolores put her singing career on hold to raise them, she resumed in the '80s, releasing a series of self-financed CDs primarily consisting of standards.
Hope was also known for her charitable efforts and served as an honorary board member of the charitable organization Wings of Hope.
