Marilyn Lovell Matz (August 27, 1931 – April 13, 2012) was an American actress, singer, AIDS activist and

therapist Therapist is a person who offers any kinds of therapy A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indi ...

. As a singer credited under her birth name of Marilynn Lovell, she released an LP on

Jubilee Records Jubilee Records was an American independent record label, specializing in rhythm and blues and novelty records. It was founded in New York City in 1946 by Herb Abramson. His partner was Jerry Blaine. Blaine bought Abramson's half of the compan ...

in 1958, ''Scotch Mist'', with arrangements by Stan Applebaum. David Edwards and Mike Callahan, "Jubilee Album Discography'', ''BSN''
Retrieved December 20, 2019 Lovell's early acting roles included the variety shows ''

The Danny Kaye Show ''The Danny Kaye Show'' was an American variety show, hosted by the stage and screen star Danny Kaye, which aired on Wednesday nights from September 25, 1963, to June 7, 1967, on the CBS television network. Directed by Robert Scheerer, it premi ...

'' and ''The Liberace Show''. She appeared in guest roles on several television series, including ''

The Munsters ''The Munsters'' is an American sitcom depicting the home life of a family of benign monsters. The series starred Fred Gwynne as Frankenstein's monsterEpisodes referring to the fact that Herman is Frankenstein's monster include #55, "Just Anoth ...

'' and '' Route 66''. Lovell toured with '' Hello, Dolly!'', which starred

Mary Martin Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in '' South Pacific'' (194 ...

, throughout Asia and Europe in 1965, and appeared in an

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

documentary about the musical's foreign tour in 1966. Lovell sang on the motion picture soundtracks for several horror films during the early 1970s, including ''

Scream Blacula Scream ''Scream Blacula Scream'' is a 1973 American blaxploitation vampire horror film. It is a sequel to the 1972 film '' Blacula''. The film was produced by American International Pictures (AIP) and Power Productions. This was the acting debut of Ri ...

'' in 1973, ''

The Return of Count Yorga ''The Return of Count Yorga'' (originally titled ''Yorga Returns'') is a 1971 American vampire horror film directed by Bob Kelljan and starring Robert Quarry, Roger Perry, Yvonne Wilder, George Macready, Rudy De Luca, Edward Walsh, and Craig T. ...

'' in 1971, and '' Terror House''. During the 1970s and 1980s, Lovell began to pursue other professions and interests outside of entertainment. She returned to college as an adult and became a

. She specifically focused on AIDS patients with the onset of the AIDS epidemic during the 1980s. Lovell and her husband,

Peter Matz Peter Matz (November 6, 1928 – August 9, 2002) was an American musician, composer, arranger and conductor. His musical career in film, theater, television and studio recording spanned fifty years, and he worked with a number of prominent ...

, held fundraisers which raised thousands of dollars for

AIDS Project Los Angeles APLA Health is a non-profit organization that is focused on building health equity and promoting wellbeing for the LGBT and people living with HIV." APLA Health is one of the largest non-profit HIV service organizations in the United States. Its ...

. Lovell continued her therapy practice during the 1990s. She simultaneously returned to the entertainment industry singing at

jazz club A jazz club is a venue where the primary entertainment is the performance of live jazz music, although some jazz clubs primarily focus on the study and/or promotion of jazz-music. Jazz clubs are usually a type of nightclub or bar, which is licens ...

s and

cabarets Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or ...

in the Los Angeles area, including the Jazz Bakery and Cinegrill. She was cast in a small role in the 1996 film, '' Ghosts of Mississippi'', directed by Rob Reiner. Matz died of complications from multiple sclerosis, which she lived with for thirty years, on April 13, 2012, at the age of 81. She was survived by two stepsons and her grandchildren. Her husband, composer

, whom she married in 1981, died in 2002.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lovell Matz, Marilyn 1931 births 2012 deaths American television actresses American stage actresses HIV/AIDS activists American film actresses Cabaret singers Neurological disease deaths in California Deaths from multiple sclerosis Place of birth missing 21st-century American women