Monica Lewis Dies at 93

Singer-Actress Monica Lewis died today at the age of 93.

Obituaries have been posted by Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.

Lewis, who celebrated her birthday last month, was a popular member of the classic film community on Twitter, where she went by the handle SongbirdMonica. She was always upbeat and positive, the life of the party, and very grateful for a life filled with wonderful experiences.

This afternoon her family posted a message to her "Twitter Pals."

Early in her career Monica spent time under contract at MGM, where she appeared in a handful of films, including a good-sized role in EVERYTHING I HAVE IS YOURS (1952) with Marge and Gower Champion and Dennis O'Keefe.

Later she was in the Jack Webb film THE D.I. (1957) and made numerous TV appearances. She was also the singing voice of Chiquita Banana for 14 years. (Update: Chiquita remembers, and here is a review of THE D.I.)

Monica was the widow of producer Jennings Lang and had small roles in several of his films including EARTHQUAKE (1974), AIRPORT '77 (1977), and THE CONCORDE...AIRPORT '79 (1979). (Update: Here's an additional review, of CHARLEY VARRICK.)

My last interaction with Monica on Twitter was to tell her how much I liked this photo of her with her husband which she shared last Monday.

It's very nice to think of them together now.

Update: Here's a 2011 interview with Monica by Susan King in the Los Angeles Times.

An obituary is now available from the Associated Press.