How did Marion Hutton, star of the swing era, die?

“He was like a father because I never had a father I remembered.”

— Marion Hutton

At only seventeen, Hutton started singing with the Glenn Miller Orchestra and performed with the group for nearly twenty years, helping to release hits like “Kalamazoo” and “Chatanooga Choo Choo.” She also worked with entertainers like Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.

Because of her tender age, she could not perform at nightclubs—she was underage. For this reason, Glenn Miller and his wife Helen became Hutton’s legal guardians and foster parents, allowing Glenn Miller to function as a chaperone. “He was like a father because I never had a father I remembered,” the singer said.

She had two brief hiatuses from the Miller Orchestra: once after a collapse from exhaustion, and later for maternity leave; both times she was welcomed back.

Personal life

She and her younger sister Betty survived a rocky childhood, with their mother running a bootleg liquor operation from the family home and the police frequenting their residence often. Her sister became a popular stage and film actress.

Her longest marriage, lasting until her death, was to bandleader Vic Schoen, an arranger for Bing Crosby, among others. Her first marriage to television producer Jack Philbin resulted in two sons, and the third son she got with writer Jack Douglas.

She later told writer George T. Simon, despite her tremendous success, “[W]hat I wanted most of all was to be a wife and mother. I had no drive for a career.”

In her late fifties, she changed gears and started working at a local hospital after earning a Bachelor’s in psychology and a Master’s in family counseling.

Cause of death

Marion Hutton died of cancer on January 10, 1987, at age 67, in Kirkland, Washington.