R.I.P. Miriam Marx (Groucho’s Daughter)

Just got word from the Marxian grapevine that Groucho’s daughter MiriamMarx Allen passed away yesterday at age 90. She was one of the last links to the Marx Brothers’ glory days. When Miriam was born in 1927 The Cocoanutswas on Broadway, and the family was still based in New York. When the team retired from films (the first time) after The Big Storeshe was only 14.

Like her mom Ruth Johnson, who’d also performed with the family act, Miriam sadly developed an alcohol problem, and had a troubled relationship with her famous father. Her book Love Groucho: Letters from Groucho Marx to His Daughter Miriam, was first published in 1992.

Miriam’s older brother Arthur, author and playwright, passed away in 2011. She is survived by her half-sister Melinda, 20 years her junior, another link with the storied Marxian past.