Robbin Bain obit

Former ‘Today Girl’ Robbin Bain dead at 87

 

She was not on the list.

Robbin Bain, who covered fashion and beauty as a “Today Girl” on the NBC morning show, died Oct. 21 in Southampton, NY. She was 87.

Bain’s daughter, Lara McLanahan, told Deadline that breast cancer was the cause of her death.

Born on Aug. 10, 1936, Barbara Jane Bain’s career got underway in 1959 when the Queens native was crowned Miss Rheingold, which was the region’s most popular beer at the time.

Earning the $50,000 prize, Bain made several appearances across the US and Europe and was even tapped for Revlon and Helena Rubinstein ads.

“It was not a body thing,” Bain told The New York Daily News in 2000, per The New York Times.

In 1961, Bain joined “Today,” where she discussed fashion, makeup, and other female-driven feature topics.

“Personality and wholesomeness were very important. You had to look very approachable to the guys sitting at the bar or going to the supermarket,” Bain added.

She also gained fame as one of four “Portrettes” who introduced Jackie Gleason on his variety show, “The Jackie Gleason Show.”

In 1961, Bain joined “Today,” where she discussed fashion, makeup, and other female-driven feature topics.

Barbara Walters, who died last year at 93, became a “Today Girl” after joining the show in 1961 as a writer and researcher.

In “Audition: A Memoir,” she said it’s “Neanderthal” for women to be stuck only covering “features geared for women.”

Born on Aug. 10, 1936, Barbara Jane Bain’s career got underway in 1959 when the Queens native was crowned Miss Rheingold, which was the region’s most popular beer at the time.

Bain, who worked in the position only for 2 months before leaving due to pregnancy, held a higher opinion of the role.

“I was the only woman, with the exception of the makeup woman, on the set,” Bain recalled during a 2012 on-air reunion of “Today Girls.”

Following her departure from “Today,” Bain became an interior designer.

She is survived by McLanahan, daughter Dina Nemeth, her husband, Alexander Guadieri, stepson Alexandre Guadieri, and six grandchildren.