Mystery Behind Sally Ann Howes Death: 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' Star Was 91

By Ashley Malone

Sally Ann Howes, a renowned name on the big screen, West End and Broadway, has passed away at the age of 91.

Times of London first reported her death, at the time of this writing, the cause of her passing was not made available to the public.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Howes is popularly known for her role as Truly Scrumptious in "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," she is also a renowned name in the field of musicals as she replaced Julie Andrews in the Broadway show "My Fair Lady."

The London-based actress' hard work in the field paid off as she was able to snag a Tony Award nomination in 1963 after portraying the role of Fiona in the revival of "Brigadoon," despite it running for only two weeks.

One of her lengthy shows was "What Makes Sammy Run?" in which she starred alongside Robert Alda and Steve Lawrence for over 500 shows from 1964 to 1965.

Acting and performing was not something new to Howes as her father, Bobby Howes, taught her how to sing and dance and even starred with her in Lerner and Loewe's "Paint Your Wagon."

The actress started as a contract player at Ealing Studios and the Rank Organization during her early years.

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One of her first shows was the 1949 series "The History of Mr. Polly" with John Mills, "Anna Karenina" with Vivien Leigh." She later toplines the 1950 production of "Cinderella" produced by the BBC.

Her Broadway career started in 1958 when she starred as Eliza Doolittle in the first run of "My Fair Lady" after Julie Andrews exited the show.

In a previous interview with Playbill, Howes said she enjoyed playing the role and considered it as "the greatest show that's ever written."

"I enjoyed it immensely. I loved the American audiences, I loved the show, and I enjoyed being in America. [Broadway] at that time was the capital of musicals," she added.

A decade after starring in the hit musical, she became a part of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" in 1968.

Howes portrayed the role of an aristocratic daughter of a confectionery magnate. It wasn't hard for her to snag the role as she never auditioned.

Her last role was teacher Aunt Julia in the musical drama "The Dead" in 2000. She earned a nomination from Drama Desk for her role.

Later in life, she married Tony-winning composer-lyricist Richard Adler but divorced in 1966. She has adopted sons, one of which named Christopher, who passed away in 1984.

In 1972, she married literary agent Douglas Rae, but he sadly passed away earlier this year.