TV and film actress Heather Menzies-Urich, who is most popular for playing Louisa von Trapp in the Academy Award-winning film The Sound of Music, died Sunday, Dec. 24, in Frankford, Ontario. She was 68.
Her son Ryan Urich said she had been recently diagnosed with cancer. She passed away on Christmas Eve, surrounded by her family and children, according to Ryan.
"She was not in any pain but, nearly four weeks after her diagnosis of terminal brain cancer, she had enough and took her last breath on this earth at 7:22 pm," said Ryan.
Menzies-Urich first landed a TV role in the 1964 series The Farmer's Daughter. Then, she was cast as one of the von Trapp children in the classic musical The Sound of Music. The Rodgers and Hammerstein film adaptation was a phenomenal box office hit that won five Oscars in 1965 including Best Picture, the top prize.
She went on to appear in several movies and TV series including Logan's Run and Vega$, which starred her husband Robert Urich, who died in 2002, also of cancer. She formed a cancer research foundation afterward, called the Robert Urich Foundation. Menzies-Urich spent most of her time in recent years to focus on the organization, raising money for cancer research and providing support for cancer patients.
"She was an actress, a ballerina and loved living her life to the fullest," her son Ryan told Variety.
Kym Karath, who played Gretl von Trapp in the film, offered her condolences via Twitter, saying she was "filled with infinite sadness" and was "devastated."
After The Sound of Music, Menzies-Urich appeared in films such as Hawaii, How Sweet It Is!, and Hail, Hero! In 1996, 1968, and 1969, respectively. Her most recent film role was of 1982's Endangered Species. She also had numerous TV roles including in Gavilan, T.J. Hooker, and Spenser: For Hire in 1982, 1984, and 1987, respectively.
However, her role in The Sound of Music was probably her most recognized, yet she was only 15 years old when that film was released. It starred Julie Andrews as Maria von Trapp and Christopher Plummer as Captain von Trapp, with Charmian Carr, Nicholas Hammond, Menzies-Urich, Duane Chase, Angela Cartwright, Debbie Turner, and Karath as the von Trapp children. It was directed by Robert Wise, who also won an Oscar for directing West Side Story in 1961. He died in September 2005.
Aside from her son, Menzies-Urich is survived by two other children, grandchildren, and a great-grandchild, according to Variety.