Show Business Icon Rose Marie Dies At 94

Enlarge this image toggle caption Fred Prouser/Reuters Fred Prouser/Reuters

Rose Marie, as she was known, had quite a career as an entertainer — it spanned nine decades. On Thursday she died in Van Nuys, Calif. She was 94.

Shortly after winning a talent contest at the age of 3, Rose Marie Mazzetta was on her way to becoming a child star. She began her professional career as Baby Rose Marie and performed under that name until she was a teenager.

She may be best remembered for playing writer Sally Rogers on the 1960s sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show and she was nominated for three Emmy Awards. The show was nominated for 25 and won 15.

There's a good chance even younger generations have heard of Rose Marie. That's because she never stopped working.

Last month, the documentary Wait For Your Laugh was released. It chronicled her long career.

She was a child radio star and singer, appeared on Broadway in the Phil Silvers musical Top Banana and subsequent film, was a nightclub entertainer and acted in many television shows.

After The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mazzetta appeared frequently on the original version of Hollywood Squares which aired from 1966 to 1980.

Rose Marie's memoir called Hold the Roses was published in 2003.

Her black hair bow became a signature look on The Dick Van Dyke Show, and when making public appearances, she always wore it.

Mazzatta was so recognized for that look that the bow ended up at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in 2008.

She has never publicly revealed why the bow was so important to her — even when asked by Smithsonian.com: "It's a very private personal reason," she says. "I said I would only give up (the bow) if the Smithsonian wants it."