Cook died in her Manhattan home surrounded by
her family and close friends, her publicist Amanda Kaus told
Reuters. Kaus added that the actress had been ill for a while,
but did not reveal the nature of the illness.
Cook, a native of Atlanta, broke out on Broadway in the 1950s
with roles in "Oklahoma!," "Carousel" and most notably "The
Music Man," for which she won a Tony award for best featured
actress in a musical for her role as Marian Paroo.
In the 1970s, she became a concert singer, performing at New
York's Carnegie Hall. Her 2001 cabaret act "Mostly Sondheim"
earned her a Tony award nomination.
In May this year, Cook's son Adam LeGrant told The New York
Times that the actress had retired from the stage after more
than six decades in show-business.
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Dan Grebler)
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