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Crowd arrived early for legend Sally Starr's funeral

Sally Starr, 90, died Sunday morning. Photo courtesy of Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia.
Sally Starr, 90, died Sunday morning. Photo courtesy of Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia.Read more
    by Breaking News Desk
    Published 

Those who came to pay homage at the funeral for one of Philadelphia's icons from television's golden age, Sally Starr, showed up early Monday afternoon, with some women dressed in tasseled skirts, some men in Stetsons.

About an hour before the 5 p.m. start to the viewing at Constantino Funeral Home in Berlin, N.J., people began gathering. Starr's last surviving sibling, Mary Boyd, appeared in good spirits when she arrived at about 4:45 p.m.

A pair of white boots and a cowboy hat sat next to her coffin and an Andy Warhol-style pop art painting of Starr in her recognizable attired loomed above. Farewell wishers were greeted by Sally's tunes.

The gun-totin' cowgirl, who rode a palomino with a silver saddle and introduced millions of children in the Philadelphia area to Popeye, Clutch Cargo, and the Three Stooges, died Jan. 27.

One of the most beloved celebrities in Philadelphia TV history, Starr was an icon of the black-and-white era.

She died two days after her 90th birthday at the Berlin, Camden County, convalescent home where she lived, her former station, 6ABC, said in an online obituary.

Starr most recently hosted a country music show on Vineland's Cruisin' WVLT-FM (92.1) but quit in April 2011 due to ill health.

Starr married twice and had no children. After her stardom in the 1950s and '60s, she had her share of personal setbacks. She was the victim of a house fire in 1987 and a car accident in 2005 on her way to WVLT. The Official Sally Starr Fan Page on Facebook has more than 13,000 "likes."

Between 1954 and 1971, Starr was the cowgirl queen of the living-room screen. With white hat topping her long platinum locks, a fringed and starred cowgirl outfit and boots, Starr corralled youngsters every afternoon for Popeye Theater.

At the peak of her popularity, as many as 1.5 million children tuned in daily. When she returned to the Philadelphia area after a long absence, she was still in demand for appearances in parades and at trade shows, fairs, and even Harrah's Casino in Chester.