Maria von Trapp, the last surviving member of the Von Trapp Family Singers, has died at her home in Vermont, aged 99.
The second-eldest of the seven original von Trapp children, Maria and her family's story of escaping Nazi-occupied Austria famously inspired the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, The Sound Of Music. Six years later, the Von Trapps were immortalised in the iconic film of the same name, which won five Oscars, including Best Picture.
In the movie, which stars Julie Andrews as a wayward nun-turned-governess, Maria von Trapp is called Louisa (somewhat confusingly, Julie Andrews' character is also called Maria von Trapp).
The musical, and subsequent film, was inspired by a book written by Maria von Trapp (the stepmother), which tells the story of how a young woman leaves a convent to become the governess to the children of a widowed naval officer – Captain Georg von Trapp.
Maria's half-brother Johannes von Trapp told the Associated Press: 'She was a lovely woman who was one of the few truly good people. There wasn't a mean or miserable bone in her body. I think everyone who knew her would agree with that.'
Pictures: Getty
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.