Dixie Lee

For the franchised restaurant chain, see Dixie Lee Fried Chicken.

Dixie Lee
Born	Wilma Winifred Wyatt November 4, 1911(1911-11-04) Harriman, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	November 1, 1952(1952-11-01) (aged 40) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Spouse	Bing Crosby (1930–1952)

Dixie Lee (November 4, 1911 – November 1, 1952) was an American actress, dancer, and singer.

Born Wilma Wyatt, she adopted the professional name "Dixie Carroll" as a singer and showgirl. Winfield Sheehan of the Fox film studio changed the name to Dixie Lee, to avoid confusion with actresses Nancy Carroll and Sue Carol. She married Bing Crosby at the age of 18, and had four sons with him, two of whom, Lindsay and Dennis, would eventually commit suicide as adults.

Crosby's biographer Gary Giddins describes Dixie Lee as a shy, private person with a sensible approach to life. Giddins recounts that Dixie and Bing, as young marrieds, were often invited to parties where liquor was plentiful, and Dixie drank socially to keep up with Bing. She succeeded in curbing Bing's alcohol consumption, but ironically her own alcoholism worsened. She had a brief film career, starring in a few features for Bing's home studio Paramount Pictures in the 1930s; her most notable film is probably Love in Bloom (1935).

She died from ovarian cancer on November 1, 1952, three days before her 41st birthday. She was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City.

External links

• Dixie Lee at the Internet Movie Database

Persondata
Name	Lee, Dixie
Alternative names	Wyatt, Wilma Winifred
Short description	Actor
Date of birth	November 4, 1911
Place of birth	Harriman, Tennessee, U.S.
Date of death	November 1, 1952
Place of death	Los Angeles, California, U.S.