Cyd Charisse, the actress and dancer who shot to Hollywood stardom as the partner of dance greats Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, died of heart failure in Los Angeles. She was 87.
Dancer Cyd Charisse dead at 87 - Telegraph
Astaire, who also danced with her in "The Band Wagon" and "Silk Stockings," said in a 1983 interview: "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."
In her autobiography, Charisse compared the two leading men, saying Astaire's coordination was better than Kelly's, but Kelly was the stronger of the two, adding: "When he lifts you, he lifts you!"
"To sum it up, I'd say they were the two greatest dancing personalities who were ever on screen. But it's like comparing apples and oranges. They're both delicious," Charisse wrote.
---------
R.I.P. Cyd! Thanx for everything!