The Broadway community mourns the loss of Doris Eaton Travis, who died yesterday at the age of 106. The marquees of Broadway theatres in New York will be dimmed in her memory tonight, Wednesday, May 12th, at exactly 8:00pm for one minute.

Ms. Travis made her Broadway debut in Mother Carey's Chickens in 1917, and her storied career included performing in over 10 Broadway shows. Ms. Travis was one of the youngest and most beautiful of the legendary Ziegfeld Follies Girls, and was the last living Ziegfeld girl. A longtime friend of Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS, she made many memorable appearances in their annual Easter Bonnet Competition.

Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League, commented, “Doris Eaton Travis has been performing on the Broadway stage for decades! From entertaining audiences in the 1920's to her recent commitment to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and their Easter Bonnet Competition, she was a fascinating lady who took show business seriously. Her interesting life is one that we can all learn from."

She was thrilled when first invited by Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS to participate in the opening number of the first Easter Bonnet Competition to be produced at the New Amsterdam Theatre where she had appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies over 70 years before, and returned to Broadway to participate in the event for the next 12 years. From 1998 – 2010, she only missed it in 2007. Still feisty, she adored dancing with the young dancers, seeing new shows and feeling the incredible response from the Easter Bonnet audience and Broadway community.

Funeral arrangements will be private. A memorial service in West Bloomfield will be announced at a later date.