Bing Crosby first wife: Who was Dixie Lee?

Dixie Lee, born Wilma Winifred Wyatt was the first wife of Bing Crosby. The couple got were married on 1930 until her death in 1952.

They had four children: Gary, twins Dennis and Phillip, and Lindsay.

Born on November 4, 1909, Wilma was an American actress, dancer, and singer.

In May 1928, while in Chicago, she entered an amateur singing contest under the stage name “Dixie Carroll.” She won the competition, and the prize was a job as a singer at the College Inn.

While working there, she was noticed by a talent scout and offered a role in the Good News traveling company.

After being offered a film contract, Winfield Sheehan of the Fox film studio changed her name to Dixie Lee to avoid confusion with actresses Nancy Carroll and Sue Carol.

Dixie Lee met Bing Crosby at the age of 20 and they married on September 29, 1930, at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Hollywood.

Dixie Lee died from ovarian cancer on November 1, 1952, three days shy of her 43rd birthday.

Her final recordings were two duets with her husband recorded on August 19, 1936 – A Fine Romance and The Way You Look Tonight.