Dorothy Dale Kloss Had Died
She was not on the list.
Dorothy Dale Kloss, legendary dancer and entertainer whose career spanned more than ten decades, passed away at home on August 19, 2026, at the age of 102. Dorothy traveled the world performing and lived much as she danced: with joy, humor and resilience.
For more than 15 years, Dorothy dazzled audiences at the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies. She was recognized by The Guinness Book of World Records as the Oldest Performing Showgirl and honored on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.
Dorothy was preceded in death by her brothers, Vincent
(Viola) and John (Eleanor). She is survived by her son, Craig (Joni); her
granddaughters, Jamie Haynes (Tim) and Megan Kloss; two great-grandchildren;
her niece Brandy Knowles (Richard); and longtime friend Ken Prescott.
Kloss began dancing when she was three years old. While working with a young Bob Fosse in a Chicago class, she won a tap dance contest and soon gained her own act at the Empire Room in Chicago. She toured the country and played Mexico City with actor Cantinflas.
She toured with Eddy Duchin until his orchestra was drafted during World War II, and then performed for the USO. In 1946 she became the hostess and dance instructor of television shows, broadcasting out of Chicago on WBKB.
Kloss performed with Liberace, The Mills Brothers, Mel Tormé, Harry Richman, Howard Keel, Kay Starr, Frankie Laine, and Chico Marx. She was accompanied by such bands as Ray Noble, Skinnay Ennis, Shep Fields and his "Rippling Rhythm", to name a few.
She performed at the Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs, California, with The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, a dance and musical revue where she was a regular "Long-Legged Lovely", performing in ten shows weekly until May 2010. Soon after, she was awarded a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.
In 2013, Kloss's autobiography entitled I'm Not in Kansas Anymore: Love Dorothy was published by Bear Manor Media.
Kloss died at her home on August 19, 2026, at the age of 102.
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