Mary Ann Mobley, known for winning the Miss America title in 1959, appearing in numerous television programs, and for her philanthropy, passed away at her home in Beverly Hills, California, on December 9, 2014. Ms. Mobley had been battling breast cancer and was 77 at the time of her death.
Mary Ann was born in Biloxi, Mississippi in 1939. She attended the University of Mississippi, graduating in 1958, and was the first woman to be voted into the University’s Alumni Hall of Fame. She was crowned Miss America in 1959 and launched a highly successful film and television career.
She appeared in numerous television programs during the 60s, 70s, & 80s. Among her film credits is Harum Scarum, where she starred opposite Elvis Presley. She was also an avid diver and prolific documentary filmmaker.
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,” said Sam Haskell, chairman of the board and CEO of the Miss America Organization in a statement. “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. 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.
Read the full story: Former Miss America, Actress Mary Ann Mobley Dies at 75
Her philanthropic efforts included work with the March of Dimes and the United Cerebral Palsy Association.
Mobley married actor and TV host Gary Collins in 1967, and together they had three children. Gary Collins died in 2012.
