Maria von Trapp, a member of the von Trapp family of Austria who inspired the musical The Sound of Music, has died at the age of 99.
She was one of the seven children of Baron Georg von Trapp and his first wife--the last surviving member of the family immortalized in the 1965 movie musical.
Her half-brother Johannes von Trapp confirmed her death on Saturday, the Associated Press reported, but von Trapp had actually passed away last Tuesday.
Maria Von Trapp died of natural causes at the family home, the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vt., the New York Daily News reported.
She was a member of the real-life Trapp Family Singers, who toured the U.S. and Europe for nearly 20 years.
Some of the episodes in the 1965 movie were true to life: When the children were young, it was their governess, Maria, who taught them music. One of the family's favorite pastimes was singing Austrian folk songs.
Governess Maria later married their father, Baron von Trapp, and the Trapp family escaped from Nazi-occupied Austria and came to the U.S. in 1938.
The Trapp Family Singers became well-known for their simple, touching performances of madrigals and old carols, sung and performed on folk instruments. They continued to perform around the world until the mid-1950s, when they settled in Vermont and opened a resort, the Trapp Family Lodge.
