The death of Morgana King, the accomplished jazz singer who played Marlon Brando's wife in "The Godfather," went unnoticed back in March until a friend wrote about her on Facebook this month, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
John Hoglund honored the Grammy-nominated singer and actress in a post Sunday on the social media site, saying she died at her home in Palm Springs in 87.
The Riverside County coroner's office said King died March 22 of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, according to The Washington Post.
"Though many will remember her as Marlon Brando's wife and Al Pacino's mother, etc., in the iconic 'The Godfather' movies (I and II), she was one of the most revered and unique jazz singers of the last century who was a major part of the jazz scene along with numerous greats like Charlie (Bird) Parker, Billie Holiday, etc." Hoglund wrote on Facebook.
"Her famed recording of 'A Taste of Honey' and 'Corcovado' ('Quiet Nights') were her most famous hits. Her close friend Frank Sinatra referred to her as '... a perfect singer like no other.' She made over 30 albums and all are collector's items. We were good friends for over 30 years, I will write more later," Hoglund continued.
"A Taste of Honey" led to a Grammy nomination in 1965, but she lost out to The Beatles for best new artist, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Her first album, "Morgana King Sings the Blues," was recorded in 1955.
King also recorded three albums on Sinatra's Reprise label, including "It's a Quiet Thing" in 1965, released after the death of her second husband Willie Dennis in a car accident.
She went on to perform on "The Tonight Show," "Playboy After Dark," and "The Hollywood Palace." She was married to trumpeter Tony Fruscella and a daughter from that marriage, Graysan, died in 2008.
Jazz Times said in 2106 that King had a love-hate relationship with the musical genre at which she made a living and at times would take leaves from performing.
"King is one of the last surviving innovators in her field; she's also known for her disappearing act," the Jazz Times said. "She last performed in 2000. Periodically she's gone into hiding, driven away by a disgust with showbiz and a string of personal tragedies. For all the ethereal lightness of her singing, she has a fiery temper, a raucous sense of humor, and a vocabulary that would make a trucker wince."
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