Jayne Meadows, the glamorous redhead and TV personality who often teamed with her late husband, Steve Allen, died April 26. She was 95.
Miss Meadows died of natural causes at her home in the Encino, California, area, spokesman Kevin Sasaki told The Associated Press Monday. Her son, Bill Allen, and other family members were with her.
“She was not only an extraordinarily gifted actress who could move audiences from laughter to tears and back again all in one scene, but she was the greatest storyteller I have ever known. …” recalled her son, who heads the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.
While best known as the wife of Steve Allen, a beloved TV host, as well as being the sister of “Honeymooners” star Audrey Meadows, Jayne Meadows achieved her own solid career, AP reported. She appeared on Broadway and in movies, gained three prime-time Emmy nominations as a TV actress, and was a staple of talk shows and game shows, beginning with “I’ve Got A Secret.”
Steve Allen, who died in 2000, summed up her appeal in a 1977 Los Angeles Times interview.
“She’s an old-fashioned woman, old-fashioned in terms of her attitudes, her manner, her demeanor, her voice,” he said. “She has a dignity that is rare these days. But she also has a lightness, an airiness, a girlishness and a certain degree of social innocence.”
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In addition to her family, friends and fans, Miss Meadows was mourned by the Parents Television Council (PTC), which was co-founded and led for years by her late husband.
“We are saddened to learn of Jayne Meadows Allen’s passing,” PTC President Tim Winter said this week.
“Like her beloved husband … Jayne built a successful career on a foundation of positive, uplifting, family-friendly entertainment. And like Steve, she embraced the mission and vision of the PTC, actively sharing our work with friends even in recent years. We are profoundly grateful for the joy Jayne brought to so many families for so many years,” Mr. Winter said.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Cheryl Wetzstein can be reached at cwetzstein@washingtontimes.com.
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