Conny Van Dyke (September 28, 1945 – November 11, 2023), sometimes credited as Connie Van Dyke, was an American singer and actress.

Biography

Conny Van Dyke was born in

Cape Charles, Virginia Cape Charles is a town / municipal corporation in Northampton County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,178 as of the 2020 census us, 2020 Census. History Cape Charles, located close to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, on Eastern Sh ...

on September 28, 1945, to Benjamin and Charlotte Elizabeth Van Dyke. When she was 15 years old, Van Dyke made recordings, worked as a fashion model, and made her first film, ''Among the Thorns''. Van Dyke worked as a songwriter and recording artist for Wheelsville Records in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. She entered and won ''Teen'' magazines Miss Teen of the United States in 1960 and signed with

Motown Records Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

in 1961, making her one of the first white recording artists for the label. Her only Motown release appeared in early 1963: "Oh Freddy", written by

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he ...

, backed with "It Hurt Me Too", written and previously recorded by

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

. Van Dyke was cast in '' Hell's Angels '69'' with Tom Stern, Jeremy Slate, and several members of the

Hells Angels The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in California whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells ...

motorcycle club. Her only sibling, Benjamin Van Dyke III, was killed in an auto accident near Salinas, California, in 1969. Shortly after ''Hell's Angels '69,'' she married Robert Page and gave birth to a son, Bronson Page . She continued to pursue recording, and released a self-titled album in 1972. She co-starred in '' W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings'' with

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor most famous during the 1970s and 1980s. He became well known in television series such as ''Gunsmoke'' (1962–1965), '' Hawk'' (1966) and '' Dan Augus ...

, and in '' Framed'', with

Joe Don Baker Joe Don Baker (February 12, 1936 – May 7, 2025) was an American actor, known for playing "tough guy" characters on both sides of the law. He established himself as an action star with supporting roles in the Westerns '' Guns of the Magnificent ...

, both in 1975. Another album, ''Conny Van Dyke Sings for You,'' was released following the film. In 2004 she co-starred in '' Shiner''. Van Dyke also appeared on ''

Adam-12 ''Adam-12'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Robert A. Cinader and Jack Webb and produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. The series follows Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers Pe ...

'', ''

Nakia Nakia Daniel Reynoso (born February 20, 1975), known professionally as Nakia, is an American musician, singer-songwriter and actor living in Austin, Texas. He is a native of Fort Payne, Alabama. Professional background Nakia moved to Austin ...

'', and '' Police Woman'', and on several game shows in the 1970s, including ''

Match Game ''Match Game'' is an American television panel game show that premiered on NBC in 1962 and has been revived several times over the course of the last six decades. The game features contestants trying to match answers given by celebrity paneli ...

'', ''

You Don't Say ''You Don't Say!'' is an American television game show that had three separate runs on television. The first version aired on NBC daytime from April 1, 1963, to September 26, 1969, with revivals on American Broadcasting Company, ABC in 1975 an ...

'', ''

The Cross-Wits ''The Cross-Wits'' is an American television game show. Two contestants, each paired with two celebrities, competed to fill in words in a crossword puzzle. It premiered on December 15, 1975, and lasted for five seasons until its cancellation on ...

'', ''

The Hollywood Squares ''Hollywood Squares'' (originally ''The Hollywood Squares'', later stylized as ''H2: Hollywood Squares'') is an American game show in which two contestants compete in a game of tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The show originally aired as a ...

'', ''

Tattletales ''Tattletales'' is an American game show produced by Mark Goodson, Goodson-Bill Todman, Todman Productions in association with Fremantle (company), Fremantle. The program had two runs on the CBS daytime schedule between February 1974 and June ...

'', and ''

The Gong Show ''The Gong Show'' is an American amateur talent contest franchised by Sony Pictures Television to many countries. It was broadcast on NBC's daytime schedule from June 14, 1976, through July 21, 1978, and in first-run syndication from 1976 to ...

''. In 2008 she made a return to network television, guest-starring on ''

Cold Case ''Cold Case'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series. It ran on CBS from September 28, 2003, to May 2, 2010. The series revolved around a fictionalized Philadelphia Police Department division that specializes in invest ...

''; she appeared on '' CSI'' the following year. Shortly after her return to television in 2008, Van Dyke suffered a massive stroke, which left her partially paralyzed and marked the beginning of her retirement. After this, she lived in Los Angeles, and was cared for by her son Bronson. Van Dyke died of complications from vascular dementia in Los Angeles, on November 11, 2023, at the age of 78.

Personal life

Van Dyke was married six times. Her first marriage to George Fisher was annulled in 1966 after three years. She married Douglas Runyon in 1968, with whom she had her only child. After divorcing Runyon, she married Los Angeles disk jockey Larry Coates in 1971. She and Coates made several appearances on ''

''. She and Coates divorced in 1976 and she was married to Douglas Dunham from 1978 to 1985. Afterwards, she was married to Emilio Acevedo from December 1988 to February 1990. Her final marriage was to Ernest Guerra from January 1997 to August 2003 before they divorced.

References

External links

* * · {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Dyke, Conny 1945 births 2023 deaths People from Nassawadox, Virginia Actresses from Virginia Singers from Virginia 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Deaths from dementia in California Deaths from vascular dementia