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ARCHIVE – This Tuesday, December 12, 1995. Archival photo, Phyllis McGuire, the youngest of the McGuire Sisters, smiles after receiving a bunch of balloons from longtime friends Debbie Reynolds and Rip Taylor at her home in Las Vegas. Phyllis McGuire, the last surviving member of the three McGuire Sisters singers who topped the charts with several hits in the 1950s, died on Tuesday, December 31, 2020 (AP Photo / Lennox McLendon, Archive)
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ARCHIVE – This Tuesday, December 12, 1995. Archival photo, Phyllis McGuire, the youngest of the McGuire Sisters, smiles after receiving a bunch of balloons from longtime friends Debbie Reynolds and Rip Taylor at her home in Las Vegas. Phyllis McGuire, the last surviving member of the three McGuire Sisters singers who topped the charts with several hits in the 1950s, died on Tuesday, December 31, 2020 (AP Photo / Lennox McLendon, Archive)
LAS VEGAS (AP) – Phyllis McGuire, the last surviving member of the three McGuire singing sisters who topped the charts with several hits in the 1950s, died. She was 89 years old.
Dorothy and Christine McGuire’s lead singer and younger sister died on Tuesday in Las Vegas, the Palm Eastern cemetery and mortuary confirmed on Thursday. The cause of death was not provided.
Known for their sweet harmonies and identical outfits and hairstyles, the McGuire Sisters won six gold albums for successes, including “Sincerely” from 1954 and “Sugartime” from 1957.
The group performed for five presidents and Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. They were included in the National Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 1994 and in the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001.
The Las Vegas Sun reported that Phyllis McGuire died in her mansion she called “Beverly Hills of Las Vegas” on Rancho Circle properties, near downtown Las Vegas. The 26,000 square foot (2,415 square meter) home includes a 45 foot (14 meter) version of the Eiffel Tower.
The sisters started singing together as children at their mother’s church in Ohio and then performed at church weddings and revivals.
They gained popularity during World War II and had their break from show business in 1952 with an appearance on the “Kate Smith Show”. They stopped performing as a trio, but returned to the stage as a trio in 1985.
The last three performed together in the mid-2000s and were featured on a 2004 PBS show called “Magic Moments – Best of 50s Pop”.
“They were amazing. They brought the country together by singing wonderful songs,” she told Sun Lovee Arum, one of McGuire’s longtime friends. “Phyllis McGuire was beautiful, talented and part of the fascination of Las Vegas.”
Phyllis Jean McGuire was born in Middletown, Ohio, on February 14, 1931. Dorothy McGuire Williamson died in 2012. Christine McGuire died in 2018.
Phyllis McGuire married announcer Neal Van Ells in 1952. They divorced in 1956.
She was also known for her relationship with mobster Sam Giancana from the 1960s. Mary Louise-Parker played the role of Phyllis McGuire in the 1995 HBO film “Sugartime”, which portrayed Giancana’s love affair with her.