Cyd Charisse has died at 87

The partner of dance greats Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly has died from heart failure at the age of 87. Born Tula Ellice Finklea in Amarillo, Texas, in 1921, she took the name Cyd Charisse, a combination of a childhood nickname and the surname of her first husband, as her stage name. Charisse took up dancing at the age of 6 as treatment for polio. She began dancing professionally a mere 8 years later.

Her first film role, in 1943, had her starring opposite Don Ameche in "Something to Shout About". She went on to dance with Astaire in 1946's "Ziegfeld Follies" before her big break in 1952, when she appeared opposite Kelly in "Singin' in the Rain."In that brief, silent role, Charisse dangled Kelly's straw hat on the toe of her high heel as he, and the camera, admired her fully-extended leg.

Gene Kelly & Cyd Charisse - from "Singin' in the Rain"

The 5' 6" tall dancer gave off an image of tallness and grace that belied her stature. Fred Astaire commented in a later interview that "She wasn't a tap dancer, she's just beautiful, trained, very strong in whatever we did. When we were dancing, we didn't know what time it was. When you dance with Cyd Charisse, you've been danced with."

The Band Wagon - Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse