Hollywood actress and one of the biggest female stars of all time, Doris Day has died

Hollywood star Doris Day, whose films made her one of the biggest female stars of all time, has died at the age of 97.

Born Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff in Cincinnati, Ohio, Doris Day was known for a string of successful musicals and romantic comedies, including Pillow Talk, as well as a singing career that encompassed 29 studio albums.

Her film career started with a role in the 1948 musical comedy Romance on the High Seas, which she secured after Betty Hutton dropped out due to pregnancy. Day proved a hit with audiences, specialising in musical comedy roles, including My Dream is Yours, Tea for Two and I’ll See You in My Dreams. In 1953, she took on the title role of the hit film Calamity Jane, a major hit which later turned into both a stage musical and a TV show.

Day was married four times, to musicians Al Jorden (1941-43) and George Weidler (1946-49), agent and producer Melcher (1951-68) and restaurateur Barry Comden (1976-81). With her first husband she had her only child, record producer Terry Melcher, who died in 2004. Day received the the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004.