The first Miss Mississippi who was crowned Miss America in 1959 passed away at the age 75 on Tuesday, December 9.
- Dec 10, 2014
AceShowbiz - Mary Ann Mobley, the first Miss Mississippi who won Miss America in 1959, died on Tuesday morning, December 9 at her home in Beverly Hills, California after a battle with breast cancer. A spokesperson for University of Mississippi confirmed the sad news.
The Miss America Organization issued a statement on Tuesday afternoon regarding Mary's passing, writing, "Our beloved Miss America, Mary Ann Mobley, passed away quietly this morning, surrounded by her loved ones. Mary Ann will always be remembered for her beauty, grace, her wonderful personality and her giving heart that touched so many."
"The Miss America Organization extends its heartfelt sympathies to Mary Ann's daughter, Clancy Collins-White - an executive at Warner Bros. Television in Los Angeles, and her extended family during this time of sorrow," the organization added, "We will keep our Miss America Mary Ann Mobley alive in our hearts, and we will keep her family in our thoughts and our prayers."
Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Miss America Organization Sam Haskell paid tribute to Mary, "When I was a little boy growing up in Mississippi, there were two Mississippi stars who I idolized...one was Elvis Presley and the other was Mississippi's first Miss America Mary Ann Mobley."
"She was at the hospital when my children were born. She performed in many of my charitable concerts to raise money in Mississippi for needed educational funds as well as Hurricane Katrina victims," Sam recalled, "We shared a love for our Alma Mater, Ole Miss, and we shared many mutual friends in our beloved home state of Mississippi. She challenged me, she loved me, and she made me laugh. I shall miss her."
Mary graduated from Ole Miss in 1958 and in the following year she was crowned Miss America. After serving her reign as Miss America, she began a career on Broadway and in both film and television. She appeared in two Elvis movies "Girl Happy" and "Harum Scarum" in 1965.
Her small screen credits included "Perry Mason", "Mission: Impossible", "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.", "The Love Boat", "Love, American Style", "Diff'rent Strokes" and "Designing Women".
Mary was married to actor and TV host Gary Collins in 1967 and they had one daughter, Mary Clancy Collins. Gary passed away in 2012.
Funeral arrangements for Mary are still incomplete.
