'Music Man' actress Susan Luckey dead at 74

Susan Luckey, a dancer, actress and singer best known as a small-town mayor's daughter in the 1962 movie musical "The Music Man," died on Nov. 29 of natural causes. She was 74.

Her daughter, Shayna Reynolds, confirmed her passing to TMZ.com Wednesday.

Luckey, whose real name was Suzanne Douglas, worked primarily on the stage, but made a handful of movies including the Broadway-musical adaptations of "Carousel" (1956), opposite Shirley Jones, and "The Music Man," starring Robert Preston. As Zaneeta Shinn, eldest daughter of mayor and pool-hall owner George Shinn (Paul Ford), she dated local ne'er-do-well Tommy Djilas (Timmy Everett) in a dance-filled role though without any solos.

Born April 4, 1938, in Los Angeles, Luckey studied at the American School of Dance and became a professional performer at 14. A member of Los Angeles and San Francisco Light Opera companies, she made her Broadway debut as a teen in the 1954 musical "Peter Pan," starring Mary Martin. She also appeared in the long-running 1959 musical "Take Me Along."

In the mid-1950s, she was an MGM contract player whose films included the musical biography "Deep in My Heart."

She was married to fellow actor Larry Douglas from 1964 until his death in 1996.