STOWE, Vt. – Maria von Trapp, a member of the musical family whose escape from Nazi-occupied Austria was the basis for “The Sound of Music,” has died, her brother said Saturday.
Von Trapp, 99, died at her home in Vermont on Tuesday, Johannes von Trapp said.
“She was a lovely woman who was one of the few truly good people,” he said. “There wasn’t a mean or miserable bone in her body. I think everyone who knew her would agree with that.”
Maria von Trapp was the last surviving member of the seven original Trapp Family Singers made famous in “The Sound of Music.” Their story was turned into the film and Broadway musical.
She was the third child and second-oldest daughter of Austrian Naval Capt. Georg von Trapp and his first wife, Agathe Whitehead von Trapp. Their seven children were the basis for the singing family in the 1959 Broadway musical and 1965 film, which won the Oscar for best picture. Maria von Trapp was portrayed as Louisa in the film and musical.
“The Sound of Music” was based loosely on a 1949 book by von Trapp’s second wife, also Maria von Trapp, who died in 1987. It tells the story of an Austrian woman who married a widower with seven children and teaches them music.
In 1938, the family escaped from Nazi-occupied Austria. After they arrived in New York, the family became popular with concert audiences. The family eventually settled in Vermont, where they opened a ski lodge in Stowe.
Von Trapp played accordion and taught Austrian dance with sister Rosmarie at the lodge.
Rosmarie von Trapp, Johannes von Trapp and Eleonore Von Trapp Campbell were born to Georg von Trapp and Maria von Trapp.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
-
Sports
Sports Digest: U.S. goalie Klinsmann hurt, dropped from Olympic qualifying
-
The Forecaster
Portland Police Beat: March 1-7
-
Sports
NFL notebook: Seahawks to release pass rusher Dunlap
-
Business
Burger King sparks uproar with ‘Women belong in the kitchen’ tweet on International Women’s Day
-
Business
Labor department restarts coaching program for jobless Mainers
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi {SUB NAME}, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have one? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login to participate in the conversation. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.