THE SOUND OF MUSIC Film Family Responds to Actress Heather Menzies-Urich's Death

Actress Heather Menzies-Urich, known for portraying Louisa von Trapp in the 1965 film The Sound of Music, has died at age 68 following a recent diagnosis with cancer.

The surviving members of the Von Trapp family from the classic film have issued the following statement regarding the death of their on-screen sibling:

"With great sadness we bid our beloved sister, Heather Menzies, goodbye.

Just over a year ago, the film von Trapp children gathered to say farewell to our oldest sister Charmian Carr. It is unbearably painful, that in such a short time, we have now lost another member of our family.

Heather's warmth, generosity and total lack of pretension, has been a shining example to all of us for over fifty years.

We were so blessed to have met her on "The Sound of Music,"and that blessing continued every day until Christmas Eve, 2017.

We send our love, admiration and deepest sympathy to her family.

Our Louisa, Heather, will never leave us and we will never leave each other.

Nicholas Hammond, Duane Chase, Angela Cartwright, Debbie Turner, Kym Karath."

Her son Ryan Urich said that his mother died on Christmas Eve, surrounded by her family.

"She was an actress, a ballerina and loved living her life to the fullest," he said. "She was not in any pain but, nearly four weeks after her diagnosis of terminal brain cancer, she had enough and took her last breath on this earth at 7:22 pm."

Menzies-Urich's first screen appearance was in the television series "The Farmer's Daughter" in 1964. Shortly after, she was cast in "The Sound of Music," which was a box office success and won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

"Heather was part of 'the family.' There is really no other way to describe the members of the cast of the movie of 'The Sound of Music.' And of 'the kids,' Heather was a cheerful and positive member of the group, always hoping for the next gathering," said Ted Chapin, president and chief creative officers of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization. "We are all lucky to have known her, and she will happily live on in that beautiful movie. We will miss her."

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