According to Variety, Peggy King, a 1950s television and recording star, died Sunday at 96 after a battle with Alzheimer's at the Saunders House Assisted Living facility in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. Publicist Alan Eicher confirmed the death.

King was a regular on The George Gobel Show from 1954 to 1957. Gobel dubbed her Pretty Perky Peggy King, a nickname that stuck. Variety said she was nominated for an Emmy for best female singer in 1955. She performed Count Your Blessings at the 1955 Academy Awards. She co-hosted the Emmys in 1958. She appeared on major variety programs and had dramatic turns on Maverick and Dragnet. An MGM contract led to a singing cameo in Vincente Minnelli's The Bad and the Beautiful. Mitch Miller signed her to Columbia Records for two best-selling albums. Arthur Hamilton wrote Cry Me a River for her, but Miller would not let her record it.

Born February 16, 1930, in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, she sang on Cleveland radio before big-band work. She received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star among the first group of honorees. She entered the Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame in 2010. She is survived by her daughter, Suzy Rudofker, and son-in-law Dwain Goforth, Variety said.

King's voice linked early television variety to mid-century pop records. Fans of Gobel's dry humor still cite her as the show's musical foil. Later generations meet her through clip shows and Walk of Fame lists. The Variety obituary is the main independent write-up NewsHabit has for the death.

What we know: Variety reports King died Sunday at 96 in Wynnewood after Alzheimer's, with her publicist confirming.
What we don't: How far her catalog will be reissued. Only Variety has reported this so far. NewsHabit hasn't seen independent confirmation.