Singer and philanthropist, Dolores Hope has died.  According to reports, the widow of the legendary entertainer Bob Hope, passed away at her home in California on Monday from natural causes.   She was 102.

Dolores DeFina was born in New York in 1909.   She began her professional singing career in nightclubs under the stage-name Dolores Reade in the 1930s.  In 1933, she was introduced to her future husband while singing at the Vogue Club in Manhattan.  After a very brief courtship, the couple married in 1934.  The twosome hit the road and worked together in a vaudeville act. A few years later, the Hope’s moved into a home in Toluca Lake, California, where Mrs. Hope resided until her death.  During their long marriage, the couple adopted four children.

Bob Hope was not only a beloved comedian, actor and singer, but was also well known for his efforts entertaining American troops overseas.  His wife often accompanied him on many of the trips and actually sang for the troops during Operation Desert Storm when she was 84.

The Hopes were known for raising millions of dollars for various charities.   Mrs. Hope was instrumental in establishing the Eisenhower Medical Center and served as founding president and Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees.  A devout Catholic, she was also deeply devoted to numerous Catholic causes.

A star in her own right, the centenarian received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She recorded her very first album, “Now and Then” when she was 83.  Mrs. Hope was not only named “Woman of the Year” by the Los Angeles Times, but also had a street in the Bronx named after her.

After nearly 70 years of marriage, Bob Hope passed away in 2003 at the age of 100.  Their son, Anthony, died in 2004.  Mrs. Hope is survived by three children, several grandchildren and one great-grandchild.  After a private service, Dolores Hope will be buried next to her husband at the Bob Hope Memorial Garden in California.