Conny Van Dyke, a singer-songwriter signed to Motown Records who starred in such films as \u201cW.W. and the Dixie Dancekings\u201d and \u201cFramed,\u201d has died. She was 78.<\/p>\n
Van Dyke died at her home in Los Angeles due to complications of vascular dementia, her son Bronson Page told Variety.<\/p>\n
The Detroit native was a longtime colon cancer and stroke survivor. She got her start in the entertainment industry when she was just 15 and a student in high school, making the film \u201cAmong the Thorns\u201d with Tom Laughlin, Bill Wellman Jr. and Stephanie Powers. During that time, Van Dyke also worked as a songwriter for Wheelsville Records in Detroit.<\/p>\n
In 1961, Van Dyke signed with Motown Records, making her one of the first white recording artists on the label. Her first two singles, \u201cOh, Freddy,\u201d written by Smokey Robinson, and \u201cIt Hurt Me Too,\u201d previously written and recorded by Marvin Gaye, were released in 1963.<\/p>\n
In 1969, Van Dyke starred as Betsy, Jeremy Slate\u2019s love interest, in the outlaw biker film \u201cHell\u2019s Angels \u201969.\u201d Also starring in the film were Tom Stern, Steve Sandor, Sonny Barger and the Oakland Hells Angels motorcycle club as themselves. Van Dyke described filming the movie as \u201ca terrifying, and yet, exhilarating experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
After starring in \u201cHell\u2019s Angels \u201969,\u201d Van Dyke released two country albums, \u201cConny Van Dyke\u201d and \u201cConny Van Dyke Sings for You.\u201d In 1975, she also went on to star in \u201cW.W. and the Dixie Dancekings\u201d alongside Burt Reynolds and Art Carney and \u201cFramed\u201d as singer Susan Barrett with Joe Don Baker. Van Dyke made a slew of television appearances on \u201cAdam-12,\u201d \u201cBarbary Coast\u201d and \u201cNakia\u201d with game show appearances on \u201cThe Hollywood Squares,\u201d \u201cMatch Game,\u201d \u201cTattletale\u201d and \u201cThe Gong Show,\u201d among others.<\/p>\n
Van Dyke retired from acting in the late 1970s to take care of her son, but returned in 2008 with a guest role on \u201cCold Case\u201d and, later, \u201cCSI,\u201d before suffering a stroke that left her partially paralyzed and from which she never fully recovered.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Conny Van Dyke, a singer-songwriter signed to Motown Records who starred in such films as \u201cW.W. and the Dixie Dancekings\u201d and \u201cFramed,\u201d has died. She was 78. Van Dyke died at her home in Los Angeles due to complications of vascular dementia, her son Bronson Page told Variety. The Detroit native was a longtime colon […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-memorial"],"yoast_head":"\n