Celebrities mourn the loss of Charmian Carr who played the eldest von Trapp daughter in Sound Of Music

Charmian Carr, made famous for her role in Sound Of Music, died on 17 September at the age of 73 in Los Angeles. The actress, who portrayed Liesl, the eldest of the von Trapp daughters, in the 1965 musical film, suffered complications of a rare form of dementia, according to her spokesman, Harlan Boll.

In the film 21-year-old Carr played the teen daughter of retired naval officer Captain Georg von Trapp, a girl dealing with the challenges of becoming a young woman. She is best known for her performance of the song Sixteen Going On Seventeen.

After Sound Of Music, Carr took on only one other only other major Hollywood role in the 1966 Stephen Sondheim television musical Evening Primrose. She later went on the get married and gave up acting to become an interior designer. She is survived by her siblings, two children, and four grandchildren.

"It's always sad when a member of the family passes away — and in the case of the 'family' of the movie 'The Sound of Music,' it's especially sad when it is the first of the group to go," said Ted Chapin, president of the Rodgers & Hammerstein organisation, in a statement. "Charmian Carr played the oldest von Trapp child, and in some ways she maintained that role in real life — guiding, cheering, supporting and generally being there for the rest of her 'sisters' and 'brothers.'"

Nicholas Hammond, who played her brother Friedrich, tweeted about Carr's death on Sunday, writing, "May she rest in peace. And forever dance around the gazebo."

Kym Karath, who played little Gretl in the movie, tweeted: "It is with infinite sadness that I share the tragic news that the precious & exquisite Charmian Carr , beautiful Liesl , has passed away." She later also posted a photo of her with Carr, on her Twitter account.