The scintillating, sultry-eyed blonde was killed in a 1982 Los Angeles auto accident at age 22 -- 20 years after her father's similar demise. Suffering from cancer and losing weight in her latter years, the beloved Edie died of complications from pneumonia at age 81 in Los Angeles.
Miss U.S. Television 1950.
Her daughter, Mia Kovacs , was killed in a car crash in 1982.
Lost both her husband and her daughter to separate car accidents.
When her husband, Ernie Kovacs , died in a car accident, he owed the IRS several hundred thousand dollars in back taxes (he felt that the tax system was unfair, and simply refused to pay it). Edie Adams took it upon herself to pay the back taxes, refusing help from her celebrity friends, and appeared in television commercials and other television work to raise the money. After several years, the back taxes were fully paid off.
Married Ernie Kovacs in Mexico City. The ceremony was presided over by former New York City mayor William ODwyer , and performed in Spanish, which neither Kovacs or Adams understood; ODwyer had to prompt each to say "Si" at the "I do" portion of the vows.
Won Broadways 1957 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actress for her performance as Daisy Mae in "Lil Abner".
Has one son with husband Marty Mills: Josh Mills.
Studied at both the Juilliard School of Music and the Columbia School of Drama.
Was the celebrity spokeswoman for Muriel Cigars for 19 years.
At age 15, Edie was the baton-twirling champion of Tenafly, New Jersey.
Patented a cigar holder-ring which she used in TV ads for Muriel Cigars in the 1960s. It was designed to show women that it was "ladylike" to smoke cigars.
Won a custody battle over Kovacs daughters, Betty and Kippie (from Kovacs first marriage) after his death in 1962.
She was a lifelong registered Republican and a solid supporter of Richard Nixon , Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.
Following her death, she was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) in Los Angeles, California.
Ex-stepmother of Tara Candoli and Carolyn Candoli.
(on her audition for the Arthur Godfrey Show, which she knew only three,pop songs) I sang them all during the audition, and if they had asked,to hear another, I never would have made it.
