Mimi Hines, Legendary Broadway Performer Who Replaced Barbra Streisand in “Funny Girl”, Dies at 91

The actress, comedian and singer died peacefully in her home in Las Vegas of natural causes, her longtime lawyer told PEOPLE

Mimi Hines — the legendary singer, rubber-faced comedian, television star and Broadway performer who famously replaced Barbra Streisand in the original cast of Funny Girl — died on Monday, Oct. 21. She was 91.

Mark Sendroff, Hines' longtime attorney, confirmed her death in a statement to PEOPLE. She died peacefully in her home in Las Vegas of natural causes, he said.

Born in Vancouver, Canada, on July 17, 1933, Hines showed a knack for comedy at a young age and parlayed that natural talent — and her signature pronounced dimples and toothy grin — into a nightclub act by the time she was 12. But she'd go on to make a name for herself in the industry as part of the duo Ford and Hines, alongside late actor-comic Phil Ford.

The two met in 1952 while working in different nightclubs in Anchorage, Alaska. They started working together when Hines, then 19, subbed for his female partner, who had accidentally broken her ankle. Love soon followed and two years later, in 1954, Hines and Ford wed.

National attention wouldn't come until 1958, after an appearance on The Tonight Show. There, Hines sang "Till There Was You" from Meredith Willson's The Music Man and, as the story goes, drove Jack Paar to tears.

From there, the pair was one of the most in-demand acts, appearing on stages across the country and on a sea of variety and talk programs like The Ed Sullivan Show, The Merv Griffin Show, The Dean Martin Show, The Joey Bishop Show, The David Frost Show, The Hollywood Palace, The Garry Moore Show, Pat Boone in Hollywood, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and more.

She was also a go-to for game shows like Password, I've Got a Secret, The Hollywood Squares, It's Your Bet and Snap Judgment. A sitcom pilot titled Mimi was shot in 1964, featuring Hines and Ford as owners of a resort hotel, but it never was picked up.

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After years of headlining the top showrooms and nightclubs, Hines landed the gig of a lifetime: the role of Fanny Brice in the original production of Funny Girl, following Barbra Streisand's departure. She made her Broadway debut with the role on Dec 27, 1965, and told the New York Times at the time that she wasn't nervous to be stepping in to Streisand's shoes.

“It’s always easier to follow a good actress than a bad one,” she said. “Miss Streisand is wonderful. [And] there is such a veil of success about Funny Girl that I feel protectively wrapped by it.”

Hines remained in the production for 18 months through July 1, 1967 with Ford playing opposite her as Eddie Ryan — a dancer and director who takes a chance on Fanny during her vaudeville days.

Following Funny Girl, Hines led in national touring companies of I Do! I Do!, Prisoner of Second Avenue, Sugar Babies and Hello, Dolly!, as well as star packages of Anything Goes, Never Too Late, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, No, No Nanette, Sugar, On The Twentieth Century, Nite Club Confidential — frequently appearing opposite Ford in some of those productions.

The singer also recorded several successful albums, including Mimi Hines Sings and Mimi Hines Is a Happening, both in 1966.

Hines and Ford divorced in 1972 though they remained in the business, even reuniting for appearances together on several occasions. He died in 2005 at the age of 85. The two never had children.

The duo were recently been awarded a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Fame. The planned ceremony will now serve as a celebration of Mimi’s life, career and marriage, Sendroff said.

In 1995, Hines returned to Broadway for her first role in 30 years, playing Rydell High teacher Miss Lynch in Tommy Tune's production Grease. She continued working on stage, in the 2000 Off-Broadway revival of Kander and Ebb's 70, Girls, 70 as well as the LA Reprise! production of On the Twentieth Century (2003), the 20th anniversary tour of Nunsense (2003) and the LA Reprise! production of Pippin (2005).

Among her on-screen credits was a memorable guest appearance as Mrs. Latimer on Frasier in 1999. Rosie O'Donnell also honored Hines with an appearance on her monster hit talk show's final week in June 2002.

One of Hines' final New York City roles was that of Hattie Walker in New York City Center’s 2007 revival of Stephen Sondheim's Follies. There, she sang the show-stopping number, "Broadway Baby," which perhaps summed up the driven performer's life perfectly.

"I'm just a Broadway baby / Walking off my tired feet / Pounding Forty-second Street / To be in a show," she sang. "Broadway baby / Learning how to sing and dance / Waiting for that one big chance / To be in a show."

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