Doris Day Remembered as a ‘True Star’ by Paul McCartney, Goldie Hawn and More: ‘World’s Sweetheart’

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Actress and singer who died Monday at age 97 was “beloved by all,” William Shatner says

doris day
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Hollywood is singing the praises of Doris Day on Monday following news of the entertainment icon’s death, with fellow stars praising Day for her natural charm and warmth that could light up the screen.

Day died at age 97 at her home in Carmel Valley, California, after contracting pneumonia, the Doris Day Animal Foundation confirmed Monday morning.

“She was a true star in more ways than one,” former Beatles singer Paul McCartney wrote on his personal blog. “he had a heart of gold and was a very funny lady who I shared many laughs with. Her films like ‘Calamity Jane’, ‘Move Over, Darling’ and many others were all incredible and her acting and singing always hit the mark.”

Goldie Hawn wrote, “The great Doris Day left us and took a piece of the sun with her. She brighten our lives and lived out her life with dignity.”

“Condolences to the family of Doris Day. She was the World’s Sweetheart and beloved by all,” William Shatner said in a tweet.

“Goodbye Doris Day, there was only one of you! I have always loved your voice and the beautiful songs you made eternal,” actor Luke Evans said.

As a singer in the ’40s and one of Hollywood’s major box office draws in the late ’50s and early ’60s, Day embodied a wholesome, girl-next-door sexuality across comedies such as “Pillow Talk,” musicals like “Calamity Jane,” and thrillers and melodramas like Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Man Who Knew Too Much.”

By the late ’60s and early ’70s, Day starred for five seasons on her own show, “The Doris Day Show.” Though Hollywood had moved past Day and her image of innocent sexuality opposite other screen icons like Rock Hudson and Cary Grant, her legacy has been reassessed by modern feminist critics as an early example of a working woman on screen more interested in her career than romance.

“The one, the only, the woman who inspired so much of what I do,” designer Stella McCartney tweeted. “Doris Day I love you, my calamity Jane. An iconic woman who I was hugely honoured to meet and share precious moments with.”

“For those of us in my generation, Doris Day was synonymous with Hollywood icon,” George Takei tweeted. “She would no doubt remind us, upon this day of her passing, ‘Que será será,’ but we will miss her dearly anyway. Rest now in our hearts forever, Ms. Day.”

In 1973, Day retired and devoted her life to the protection of animals, forming the Doris Day Animal Foundation. Her work was likewise recognized by PETA on Monday.

“Doris Day was a silver screen and singing legend, but PETA will always remember her for her most important role: animal champion,” Lisa Lange, SVP for PETA said in a statement. “She personally rescued, fostered, and found loving homes for hundreds of animals; founded an organization to stop animal homelessness through spaying and neutering; and formed the Doris Day Animal League, which joined PETA in opposing cruel chemical tests on animals. Day was a warm, kind, generous person, and she will be missed by all of us here at PETA.”

See more tributes to Day below:

 

 

https://twitter.com/SethMacFarlane/status/1127937425647460352

https://twitter.com/ColeEscola/status/1127943581589737479

https://twitter.com/RaySteeleRTV6/status/1127920657520570368

 

Brian Welk

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

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