Molly Bee | Country singer, 69

Molly Bee, 69, the country singer who shot to fame at age 13 with the 1952 novelty hit "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," has died.

She died Saturday in Oceanside, Calif., of complications after a stroke, said her manager, Rick Saphire. She had been in failing health for several months, he said.

Born Mildred Nungester Wolfe, Ms. Bee was just 10 when she started her music career, singing the Hank Williams classic "Lovesick Blues" on country star Rex Allen's radio show. He had met her and her mother at one of his concerts and was impressed when she sang a song for him.

Three years later, she was a star herself, with a hit song and a regular role on Hometown Jamboree, a Los Angeles country-western TV show.

She also played Pinky Lee's sidekick on The Pinky Lee Show, one of the most popular children's programs of the 1950s. - AP