Claim: Debbie Reynolds performed in How the West Was Won.

Mary Frances `` Debbie '' Reynolds -LRB- April 1 , 1932 -- December 28 , 2016 -RRB- was an American actress , singer , businesswoman , film historian , humanitarian , and mother of the actress and writer Carrie Fisher . She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer for her portrayal of Helen Kane in the 1950 film Three Little Words , and her breakout role was her first leading role , as Kathy Selden in Singin ' in the Rain -LRB- 1952 -RRB- . Other successes include The Affairs of Dobie Gillis -LRB- 1953 -RRB- , Susan Slept Here -LRB- 1954 -RRB- , Bundle of Joy -LRB- 1956 Golden Globe nomination -RRB- , The Catered Affair -LRB- 1956 National Board of Review Best Supporting Actress Winner -RRB- , and Tammy and the Bachelor -LRB- 1957 -RRB- , in which her performance of the song `` Tammy '' reached number one on the Billboard music charts . In 1959 , she released her first pop music album , titled Debbie .   She starred in How the West Was Won -LRB- 1963 -RRB- , and The Unsinkable Molly Brown -LRB- 1964 -RRB- , a biographical film about the famously boisterous Molly Brown . Her performance as Brown earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress . Her other films include The Singing Nun -LRB- 1966 -RRB- , Divorce American Style -LRB- 1967 -RRB- , What 's the Matter with Helen ? -LRB- 1971 -RRB- , Charlotte 's Web -LRB- 1973 -RRB- , Mother -LRB- 1996 -RRB- -LRB- Golden Globe nomination -RRB- , and In & Out -LRB- 1997 -RRB- . Reynolds was also a cabaret performer . In 1979 , she founded the Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio in North Hollywood , which still operates today .   In 1969 , she starred on television in The Debbie Reynolds Show , for which she received a Golden Globe nomination . In 1973 , Reynolds starred in a Broadway revival of the musical Irene and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical . She was also nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance in A Gift of Love -LRB- 1999 -RRB- and an Emmy Award for playing Grace 's mother Bobbi on Will & Grace . At the turn of the millennium , Reynolds reached a new younger generation with her role as Aggie Cromwell in Disney 's Halloweentown series . In 1988 , she released her autobiography titled , Debbie : My Life . In 2013 , she released a second autobiography , Unsinkable : A Memoir .   Reynolds also had several business ventures , including ownership of a dance studio and a Las Vegas hotel and casino , and she was an avid collector of film memorabilia , beginning with items purchased at the landmark 1970 MGM auction . She served as president of The Thalians , an organization dedicated to mental health causes . Reynolds continued to perform successfully on stage , television , and film into her eighties . In January 2015 , Reynolds received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award . In 2016 , she received the Academy Awards Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award . In the same year , a documentary about her life was released titled Bright Lights : Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds , which turned out to be her final film appearance ; the film premiered on HBO on January 7 , 2017 .   On December 28 , 2016 , Reynolds was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center following a medical emergency , which her son Todd Fisher later described as a `` severe stroke '' . She died from the stroke that afternoon , one day after the death of her daughter Carrie Fisher .