On Wednesday, October 16, Hollywood lost one of its all time greats to cancer and pneumonia, when actress-singer Edie Adams passed away at the age of 81, leading numerous publications to wave a fond farewell to the “flirt with the cigar.” In honor of Edie’s work, we’d like to take a brief look back at her life and accomplishments.

Born in Kingston, Pennsylvania in April 1929, Adams attended the crème-de-la-crème of institutions – Julliard – where she received classical training as a vocalist. A win in the 1950 Miss U.S. television pageant only heightened her recognition, capped off with a stellar performance of Nacio Herb Brown and Earl K. Brent’s “Love is Where You Find It.” One thing often leads to another in showbusiness, and this was certainly true for the glamorous, svelte Adams, who parlayed the Miss Television win into a Minneapolis appearance opposite Uncle Miltie (onstage), and then segued from that into involvement in Berle’s television show and a series of pas-de-deux with the squat, mustachioed blackout king Ernie Kovacs, whom she later fell in love with and married. The union lasted until Kovacs’s untimely death in an automobile accident in January of 1962.

Adams of course first attained public recognition for her Broadway work, and succeeded in bringing down the house time and again; it all commenced in 1953, with a plum role as Rosalind Russell’s sister in the George Abbott-directed musical Wonderful Town. Many additional triumphs followed on the New York stage, but particularly the thespian’s portrayal of cornpone Daisy Mae in the 1956 Li’l Abner. As time rolled on, Adams focused more intently on feature work, her presence gracing and illuminating such films as the 1960 Best Picture Winner The Apartment, plus Under the Yum Yum Tree, The Honey Pot, Up in Smoke (an outrageous comic turn as Mrs. Stoner), The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington and numerous other films. Some may remember Adams in particular for her frequent television commercial work advertising Muriel cigars, with the sexy trademark exhortation, “Pick one up and smoke it some time” (a catchphrase inspired by Mae West) and various advertisements that witnessed her dancing with giant cigars while wearing a slinky dress. The long-running campaign dramatically increased sales of the brand.

Adams spent a great deal of her time on television during her last few decades, with guest spots on such series as Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, Murder She Wrote and Designing Women. She will be missed.