‘Sound of Music’ actress Charmian Carr dies at 73

Her best known role is playing the eldest Von Trapp daughter in 1965 film.

A statement from her manager says the actress died of complications from a rare form of dementia.

Carr later wrote a pair of books about her experiences, Forever Liesl and Letters To Liesl. But she soon left acting to raise daughters Jennifer and Emily, then later started a design business Charmian Carr Design, counting among her clients (and friends) Michael Jackson, a devoted Sound of Music fan. She played a mysterious young woman who lived in a department store.

Tributes were paid to Carr on Twitter. “She will be forever missed”, they wrote.

Carr was 21 at the time she she was “Sixteen going on Seventeen”. She fully embraced audiences’ reverence for the musical, frequently appearing at sing-a-long performances at the Hollywood Bowl. They can move around. “They can skip their appointment with the shrink that week”.

We had the gracious opportunity to stay at Charmian Carr’s house several times while we worked on different projects for her.

After starring in the Academy Award-winning film she became an interior designer. Her mother was a vaudeville actress, and her father was a musician and orchestra leader.

After starring in The Sound Of Music and Evening Primrose, she chose to stop acting altogether to raise her family and focus on her design business.

The actress is survived by her sisters and brothers: Sharon, Darleen, Michael and Brian, her children, Jennifer & Emily, niece Julie, and her four grandchildren: Emma, Derek, William and Tucker.