Carol Channing Remembered by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bernadette Peters and More

“She rejoins the heavens as a new diamond in the night sky, and as she famously sang, they are a girl’s best friend,” actor George Takei tweets

Carol Channing RIP
Getty Images

Star of stage and screen Carol Channing, who died Tuesday morning at the age of 97, is being remembered and honored by those in Hollywood and on Broadway as “one of Broadway’s greatest lights.”

“She rejoins the heavens as a new diamond in the night sky, and as she famously sang, they are a girl’s best friend,” actor George Takei tweeted. “Goodbye and farewell, forever our Dolly.”

Channing’s work on stage in the original production of “Hello, Dolly!” and “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” is being celebrated by stars like Lin-Manuel Miranda, Rosanna Arquette and Gilbert Gottfried, among others.

The cast of the current Broadway production of “Hello, Dolly” issued a statement this morning, saying. “We are deeply saddened by the passing of the one and only Carol Channing. She was a ‘Dolly’ for the ages, and a true icon of the American Theater. Betty Buckley and the cast will dedicate tonight’s performance in San Diego to her memory.”

GLAAD also honored her Tuesday morning for her contributions to LGBT artists and audiences, quoting her as saying, “The gay community is responsible for so much of my success, and I love them. It’s a mutual love affair, really. They make the better audiences too, because they laugh often and loudly.”

“Thank you Carol Channing for a brilliant career and for being a friend,” the official account of GLAAD said in a tweet.

Finally, Heather Hitchens, president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, issued this statement on her passing: “Carol Channing was one of the great icons of the American theater, and a beloved ambassador for this art form. She possessed a quality so unique and so special that she became her own archetype. Though her loss will be felt deeply by fans and professionals alike, her indomitable spirit lives on in the countless leading ladies who have been — and continue to be — influenced by her greatness.”

Rest in peace Carol Channing, and thanks for all the jams. See some of the other reactions below:

Brian Welk

Film Reporter • brian.welk@thewrap.com • Twitter: @brianwelk

Comments