Dorothy McGuire, Singer With The McGuire Sisters, Dies At 84

Dorothy McGuire, one of three siblings who formed The McGuire Sisters, has passed away at her son’s home in Paradise Valley, Arizona. She was 84.

Dorothy and her sisters, Christine and Phyllis, saw more than 30 of their songs reach the Billboard charts from the mid-1950s onwards. The trio of siblings, who performed at church services from a young age, were perhaps best known for their hits ‘Picnic’ and ‘Something’s Gotta Give’.

Success was never far away for the group, particularly in their early days. The song ‘Sincerely’ spent more than two months at No. 1 on the charts in 1955, while tracks such as ‘Something’s Gotta Give’ and ‘Sugartime’ also hit the top 10.

Renowned for their ballads and distinctive harmonizing, the sisters performed together until 1968, when they retired from public appearances after a final performance on The Ed Sullivan Show. While Phyllis continued to perform solo and Christine delved into various business ventures, Dorothy chose a more domestic path, having married Arizona real estate developer Lowell Williamson in 1958.

In 1986, the sisters reunited, performing at Toronto’s Royal York Hotel for the first time since their retirement. Numerous nightclub engagements followed the comeback appearance, with venues in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and New York City’s Rainbow Stars hiring the group, who were now in their fifties.

Dorothy passed away on Friday after a battle with Parkinson’s disease and age-related dementia. The news was revealed to the Associated Press by her daughter-in-law, Karen Williamson.

The remaining McGuire Sisters, 86-year-old Christine and 81-year-old Phyllis, live in Las Vegas. Here are just two of the group’s hit songs: