Dieting killed Mary Frann
PUSSSYKATT
"Newhart" star Mary Frann died just weeks before her long hoped-for wedding --
and heartbroken friends believe her frantic dieting and exercising triggered
her death.
Mary -- who had a heart murmur and had been treated for an irregular heartbeat
-- wanted to look stunning in her bridal gown. She took diet pills, counted
every calorie and pushed her 55-year- old body through grueling workouts that
would exhaust a teenager.
"I want to be the slimmest bride in the world! I don't want a bit of fat on me
when I put on that bridal gown," a jubilant Mary confided to an insider.
The beautiful blonde actress was found dead in her Beverly Hills home September
23 by her live- in fiance, successful insurance executive John Cookman. He was
the love of her life and the two had been looking ahead to a November wedding.
"Ever since I met Mary 16 years ago, I have loved her. Ironically, we had just
agreed to tie the knot. Her family and I were stunned by her death. It happened
so suddenly.
"Mary had come home late from a charity event and seemed a little tired. We had
a light supper before turning in for the night.
"When I woke up the next morning, she was still asleep so I got dressed for
work. I noticed that Mary still wasn't up yet so I went back into the bedroom
to kiss her goodbye and after my lips touched her cheek, I realized how cold
she felt.
"I shook her and she still didn't move. Her back was to me so I touched her
shoulder and turned her over. I realized instantly she was dead.
"I just stood still looking at her in utter disbelief and then I started to
panic. I called the paramedics and then ran back into the bedroom and tried to
shake Mary and wake her up."
Minutes later the paramedics arrived but nothing could be done.
"I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her," said John, his voice choked
with emotion. "She was a wonderful woman. All I can do is try to conquer this
unbearable emptiness I have inside."
The radiant actress looked the picture of health, "but Mary was very concerned
about her heart problems," a close source disclosed.
"I met her five years ago. I referred her to my doctor, a heart specialist. He
found she had an arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and tried a radical treatment
-- shocking her heart. They did a number of treatments -- shocking her up to
the highest level to attempt to jar her heart into a normal mode.
"But it didn't work. The last time I saw Mary, about a year ago, she said, 'I
live in a constant state of nervousness. There's nothing they can do for me.' "
Revealed the insider: "Mary chose to ignore she had a heart murmur and used
diet pills combined with strenuous exercise.
"Just four days before she died, she was dancing to rock 'n' roll music at a
party in Susan Blakely's home. Mary was covered with sweat, dancing like a
woman possessed. 'This is how I keep fit,' she said.<Picture>
"Susan told me, "Mary's like that in the gym, too. She can just keep going --
lifting weights, running on the treadmill and doing push-ups."
Divulged a friend, "Mary was an absolute diet freak. She was obsessive in her
need to be lean."
People with underlying heart disease who diet and exercise excessively can put
themselves in "severe danger," said former Harvard heart specialist William
Castelli.
Sadly, at the time of her death, Mary was very close to finding true happiness.
After a previous marriage, which ended in a 1985 divorce, Mary was skittish
about making a second marital commitment. Even after she met John, she had
flings with younger men.
But devoted John was always there for her -- and their relationship deepened
over the years.
"Finally I realized I was running all over looking for romance while my real
love was John," Mary told her friend.
The actress also found fulfillment in charitable activities. The night before
she died, she was involved in an event for the homeless. And she was always
looking after her friends' welfare.
Mary's friend Florence LaRue -- an original member of The Fifth Dimension
singing group -- told The ENQUIRER: "Mary was as beautiful on the inside as she
was on the outside. She was a very charitable person."
LaRue -- who was with Mary hours before her death -- disclosed:
"If she felt bad, she didn't let on. Her thoughts, as always, were for others."
Mary touched many lives and 120 people packed her September 25 wake at the
Pierce Bros. funeral home in Santa Monica. Among them were Joan Van Ark, Susan
Blakely, Meredith MacRae, Donna Mills, Gloria Loring and Loni Anderson.
Meredith sang "Wind Beneath My Wings" and after a brief eulogy, Joan Van Ark
faced the casket, raised her fist and declared: "You go girl!"
The service had a New Age feel as an unusual recording of "Amazing Grace" --
with the sound of crying whales in the background -- wafted through the room.
Divulged a mourner: "There wasn't a dry eye in the house!"
-- JOHN SOUTH, PATRICIA TOWLE and TONY BRENNA
amr...@my-dejanews.com
through it at least once. I didn't have the sense they were acting as
guinea pigs. -- Meg
In article <19981014110132...@ng68.aol.com>,
pusss...@aol.com (PUSSSYKATT) wrote:
> NATIONAL ENQUIRER...
> The radiant actress looked the picture of health, "but Mary was very concerned
> about her heart problems," a close source disclosed.
>
> "I met her five years ago. I referred her to my doctor, a heart specialist. He
> found she had an arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and tried a radical treatment
> -- shocking her heart. They did a number of treatments -- shocking her up to
> the highest level to attempt to jar her heart into a normal mode.
>
> "But it didn't work. The last time I saw Mary, about a year ago, she said, 'I
> live in a constant state of nervousness. There's nothing they can do for me.' "
>
> Revealed the insider: "Mary chose to ignore she had a heart murmur and used
> diet pills combined with strenuous exercise.
>
>
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
lakeya...@aol.com
> NATIONAL ENQUIRER...This is so sad. In all this time, this is the first I've known of her death. I remember the episode of Beyond Belief:Fact or Fiction she did in 1998. I never heard the news of her death when it happened. Up until googling her recently I had no idea she'd passed away. My heart still goes out to all those who lost her. I loved watching her on Newhart. Her character was wonderfully, sweet, compassionate, warm and fun to watch. R.I.P.(Sorry. I know this is too late)
> about her heart problems," a close source disclosed.
>
> "I met her five years ago. I referred her to my doctor, a heart specialist. He
> found she had an arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and tried a radical treatment
> -- shocking her heart. They did a number of treatments -- shocking her up to
> the highest level to attempt to jar her heart into a normal mode.
>
> "But it didn't work. The last time I saw Mary, about a year ago, she said, 'I
> live in a constant state of nervousness. There's nothing they can do for me.' "
>
> Revealed the insider: "Mary chose to ignore she had a heart murmur and used
> diet pills combined with strenuous exercise.
>
lakeya...@aol.com
> NATIONAL ENQUIRER...
>
> with the sound of crying whales in the background -- wafted through the room.
>
> Divulged a mourner: "There wasn't a dry eye in the house!"
>
> -- JOHN SOUTH, PATRICIA TOWLE and TONY BRENNA
accordwit...@gmail.com
Miloch
accordwit...@gmail.com says...
>
>sad :(
...been dead since '98! of a heart attack...and you're just now finding out
about it?
*
ari...@g.ucla.edu
Miloch
ari...@g.ucla.edu says...
>
>It's 2018, and I have been watching Cozi TV. Mary Frann was so good on New=
>hart. I googled her to see what she had been up to lately and so surprised=
> to find out she died 20 years ago!!!! On TV, she will live forever. Hope h=
>er relatives are earning royalties.
...ya...crash dieting using diet pills is not good at her age...I think she also
had a medical condition that didn't help.
*