Marni Nixon, known as Hollywood’s “invisible voice”, has died aged 86.
The singer appeared, uncredited, on many of the biggest movie musicals of all time – dubbing the voices for Deborah Kerr in The King and I, and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady.
She also sang the high notes for Marilyn Monroe in Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend; and “ghosted” Natalie Wood’s vocals on West Side Story.
Nixon died of breast cancer on Sunday, her agent confirmed.
For most of her career, the classically-trained musician remained unknown. Twentieth Century Fox made her sign a contract saying she would never reveal the ghost-singing on The King and I. The story only came out later, when Kerr herself credited Nixon’s work in a press interview.