News

Margie Duncan, a dancer and actress who stood in for her dear friend Debbie Reynolds in films including The Unsinkable Molly Brown, The Second Time Around and The Singing Nun, has died. She was 92.

Duncan died Jan. 3 after a brief illness at her Porter Ranch home in Los Angeles, her family announced.

Duncan worked with choreographers in the movies to learn Reynolds’ routines, “dancing in” during blocking and rehearsals until the numbers were set. She would then teach the routines to her friend.

In the musical comedy The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964), for which Reynolds received her lone Oscar nomination, Duncan rehearsed the number “Ain’t Down Yet,” which took place in the barnyard of Molly’s (Reynolds) country home, with choreographer Peter Gennaro.

Duncan jumped on the top of a shed to sing the last verse while walking backward down its thatched roof and then back up, finishing at the front of the roof.

Friends, family and fans have gathered together to celebrate the beautiful lives and legacies of Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher with a public memorial service at the Freedom Theater at Forest Lawn Cemetery Hollywood Hills on Saturday. The late mother-daughter duo died just one day apart from each other back in December.

Watch: Todd Fisher on How Billie Lourd Is Coping With Tragic Family Deaths: She's 'a Pretty Powerful Gal'

The memorial, which was also live-streamed on DebbieReynolds.com, was organized by Debbie's son and Carrie's brother, Todd. While speaking with Et earlier this week, the producer anticipated that there wouldn't "be a dry eye in the house" -- and he wasn't wrong.

Once all guests were seated in the theater, Todd came out onstage to welcome local members of the Coast Guard in, who helped kick off the memorial. "My mother would have liked that," Todd revealed. "This entire thing I'm calling a show, not a memorial...