Daaaarrrliinng! Remembering the Jeanne Little we knew

I was saddened today to read that this talented, lovely woman is now so severely affected by Alzheimer’s she no longer knows what happening around her.

Do you remember this totally over the top comedienne who wore a dress made from Chux and another from garbage bags? And THAT voice! It could cut steel sheeting!

One of the beautiful things about Jeanne was she knew how to be funny without being cruel or crude – her jokes/skits were about us laughing with her and at ourselves.

Comedy was not Jeanne’s only talent however, her one woman show Marlene a tribute to Marlene Dietrich was just plain brilliant as where her appearances in Jerry’s Girls and Legends! One of the show stopping moments in Jerry’s Girls was Jeanne singing about a failed burlesque star who the audience yelled at her not to take it off, but to put it back on!

This week her husband and daughter told Channel 9 that the once vivacious performer is a shadow of her former self. This is devastating not only for her fans but also for her devoted family, particularly her husband of 43 years, Barry. Since being diagnosed in 2009, she deteriorated so quickly that he had no choice but to place her in a nursing home, as he was struggling to cope. He visits and feeds her every Saturday and says it’s been hard to watch his colourful wife transform into someone who can’t recognise her own children. Heartwarmingly, though, her caring partner said, “She is still so beautiful. There’s not a line on her face”.

Jeanne was a favourite of mine throughout the 70s so it’s very sad indeed to think the TV legend with her trademark ‘daaaarrrling’ is no more. So I thought it would be nice if the Starts at Sixty community would help to celebrate Jeanne and the joy she brought to our lives for many years.

What was your favourite Jeanne Little memory? What did you love about her? Tell us in the comments!