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2005-06-15 01:24:43 UTC
Mother of Lennon Sisters died at 85
Associated Press
BRANSON, Mo. - Isabelle "Sis" Lennon Miller, mother of the Lennon
Sisters who starred on Lawrence Welk's popular TV show in the 1950s,
died last month at the age of 85.
Her death of congestive heart failure in Branson on May 1 was announced
Tuesday by a Los Angeles-based publicist for the family.
The publicist, Sandi Padnos, said the death had not been made public
earlier because of family concerns for privacy. Miller's first husband,
Bill Lennon, was shot to death on a golf course in 1971 by a fan of one
of his daughters, Peggy.
Padnos said a tribute to Miller is planned June 26 in the Los Angeles
area but that the exact location was not being made public.
The Lennon Sisters - Dee Dee, Peggy, Kathy and Janet - made their
national debut with Welk on his Christmas program in 1955. The girls -
then 16, 14, 12 and 9 - soon became one of Welk's most popular acts.
They split from him in the late 1960s, and eventually had their own
television show with Jimmy Durante.
Since 1994, the Lennons have been featured performers at The Welk
Champagne Theatre in Branson. Peggy retired in 1999, with sister Mimi
taking her place. Since Dee Dee's retirement after the 2000 season, the
act has continued as a trio.
Miller was the mother of 12, including one daughter who preceded her in
death. Three of her sons and a daughter-in-law are also entertainers
singing in Branson, and a son-in-law and grandsons perform as a rock
band.
In 1996, she moved from California to Branson to be near her children,
and two years later she married widower Joe Miller, who had been her
high school sweetheart. They broke up 60 years earlier and married
others.
Lennon and her first husband raised their family in Venice, where one
of the girls was a high school classmate of Lawrence Welk Jr. After
seeing the singing sisters perform at a local Moose Lodge, he told his
dad he should put them on his show.
The orchestra leader wasn't interested at first, but he was home with a
cold when his son invited them over for an audition and Welk hired them
on the spot.
Associated Press
BRANSON, Mo. - Isabelle "Sis" Lennon Miller, mother of the Lennon
Sisters who starred on Lawrence Welk's popular TV show in the 1950s,
died last month at the age of 85.
Her death of congestive heart failure in Branson on May 1 was announced
Tuesday by a Los Angeles-based publicist for the family.
The publicist, Sandi Padnos, said the death had not been made public
earlier because of family concerns for privacy. Miller's first husband,
Bill Lennon, was shot to death on a golf course in 1971 by a fan of one
of his daughters, Peggy.
Padnos said a tribute to Miller is planned June 26 in the Los Angeles
area but that the exact location was not being made public.
The Lennon Sisters - Dee Dee, Peggy, Kathy and Janet - made their
national debut with Welk on his Christmas program in 1955. The girls -
then 16, 14, 12 and 9 - soon became one of Welk's most popular acts.
They split from him in the late 1960s, and eventually had their own
television show with Jimmy Durante.
Since 1994, the Lennons have been featured performers at The Welk
Champagne Theatre in Branson. Peggy retired in 1999, with sister Mimi
taking her place. Since Dee Dee's retirement after the 2000 season, the
act has continued as a trio.
Miller was the mother of 12, including one daughter who preceded her in
death. Three of her sons and a daughter-in-law are also entertainers
singing in Branson, and a son-in-law and grandsons perform as a rock
band.
In 1996, she moved from California to Branson to be near her children,
and two years later she married widower Joe Miller, who had been her
high school sweetheart. They broke up 60 years earlier and married
others.
Lennon and her first husband raised their family in Venice, where one
of the girls was a high school classmate of Lawrence Welk Jr. After
seeing the singing sisters perform at a local Moose Lodge, he told his
dad he should put them on his show.
The orchestra leader wasn't interested at first, but he was home with a
cold when his son invited them over for an audition and Welk hired them
on the spot.