Bob Hope Wife Dies at 102

Wife of Bob Hope - Dolores Hope

(LOS ANGELES) — Dolores Hope, the sultry-voiced songstress who was married to Bob Hope for sixty nine years and generally sang on his shows for U.S. troops and on his tv specials, has died at age 102.

 

Hope family spokesman Harlan Boll said Hope died Monday of natural causes at home in l. a. . He failed to elaborate. Bob Hope died at age one hundred on July twenty seven, 2003.

At her one centesimal party, Hope appeared very little changed: Her white hair was richly coiffed, her skin swish and her voice deep and heat. She was delivered to the party in an exceedingly wheelchair however was alert and happy as she greeted previous friends and posed for pictures. (See a photograph history of stand-up comedy.)

Hope mused, "I thought it absolutely was attending to be simply another birthday."

In 1933, when Bob Hope was showing in his initial Broadway show, "Roberta," his friend and fellow forged member George Murphy persuaded him to go to the Vogue Club to "hear a reasonably lady sing." She was Dolores Reade, a dark beauty whose singing of "It's solely a Paper Moon" entranced the young comedian. "I'll always remember what an exquisite singer she was," said Rip Taylor. "In fact, that is how Bob and Dolores met. It looks to me that they were invariably laughing."

Hope came back each night and shortly he was escorting her to her hotel once her shows. They married Feb. 19, 1934, and he or she quit nightclubs to affix his vaudeville act. Then she retired. "Bob was the recent factor in the big apple then," she recalled in 1997. "I thought i might higher keep home and lookout of Bob." (See Bob Hope on TIME's cowl.)

When they moved to Hollywood in 1938 for the start of his film career, Dolores stayed home and devoted her time to raising the four youngsters the Hopes adopted: Linda, Anthony, Kelly and Nora. "I had such an enormous admiration for each of them," said Julie Newmar. "The quality it takes to induce only 1 year older, says plenty that indisputable fact that she lived to 102." She continued singing at parties, and within the Nineteen Forties she began accompanying Hope on his Christmas visits to entertain U.S. troops. In 1966 she sang "Silent Night" to hushed thousands of GI's who then rose and gave her a thunderous ovation, several with tears in their eyes.

In 1990, Mrs. Hope accompanied Bob on his last Christmas visit to yankee forces, visiting troops who were in Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Storm. Marie Osmond, Ann Jillian and therefore the Pointer Sisters failed to perform, to avoid offending Saudi sensibilities regarding ladies entertainers. however Dolores Hope was approved and sang "White Christmas" to a rapt audience. "She was the primary girl of the USO," said Carol Channing. "They did not return any longer patriotic, caring or gifted than Dolores."

She was born Dolores DeFina in 1909 in New York's Harlem to an Italian father and Irish mother, and grew up within the

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