Actress Heather Menzies-Urich, best remembered for her role in the 1965 musical, The Sound of Music, died on Sunday, Dec. 24. She was 68.

Heather portrayed the character of Louisa von Trapp in the classic film alongside six other Von Trapp children.

Cause Of Death

The actress was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme; a fast-growing and aggressive form of brain cancer about a month ago. She was surrounded by family members when she breathed her last, according to Heather's son Ryan, who confirmed the news of her passing.

"She was an actress, a ballerina and loved living her life to the fullest," Ryan said. He added that his mother was not in any pain, but four weeks after her diagnosis, she left for her heavenly abode at 7:22 pm.

Early Life And Career

Born in Toronto, Canada, in 1949, Heather moved to Los Angeles when she was only a teenager and earned her first acting stint in a TV series called The Farmer's Daughter in 1964. However, she got her big break at the age of 14 as the third-eldest child of the seven Von Trapp children in The Sound of Music.

The film adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, which also starred Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, was a blockbuster hit and bagged five Oscars, including the Best Picture category.

After The Sound of Music, she appeared in many television films and programs. As an adult, Urich featured in films like Outside In, Hawaii, How Sweet It Is!, Piranha, Sssssss and Endangered Species.

She also had a successful career on television, starring as Jessica 6 in the hit TV series Logan's Run, and her other small screen credits include Spenser: For Hire, Dragnet, and The Bob Newhart Show among others. She also posed nude for Playboy magazine in 1973 when she was only 23 years old.

Personal Life

Heather met her husband Robert on the set of a commercial they were filming for Libby's Corned Beef Hash and the pair tied the knot in 1975. Robert died in 2002 after losing a battle with a rare form of cancer, after which Heather founded a cancer foundation in his name to raise funds for cancer research. Heather is survived by three children and eight grandchildren.

News of Heather's death comes 14 months after the demise of another Sound of Music actress, Charmian Carr, who played the role of the eldest Von Trapp child Liesl.

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