Mitzi Gaynor, star of South Pacific, dies aged 93

Actress Mitzi Gaynor in her apartment in Beverly Hills, California, in 2021 (Mark J Terrill/AP)

Mitzi Gaynor, the effervescent dancer and actress who starred as Nellie Forbush in the 1958 film of South Pacific and appeared in other musicals with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, has died aged 93.

Gaynor, among the last survivors of the so-called golden age of the Hollywood musical, died of natural causes in Los Angeles on Thursday morning, her long-time managers Rene Reyes and Shane Rosamonda confirmed in a statement to The Associated Press (AP).