US Actress Celeste Holm, Estranged from Sons, Dies at 95 with 49 Year Old Husband by Her Side [PHOTOS]

At a time when huge age differences between celebrity couples are seen as reasons for divorce - Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes being recent examples - an Oscar-winning Hollywood actress passed away with her husband, 46 years her junior, by her side.

Celeste Holm, known for winning an Academy Award for her performance in Gentleman's Agreement (1947), died aged 95 at her New York home on Sunday, her family members said.

"She passed peacefully in her home in her own bed with her husband and friends and family nearby," Holm's niece Amy Phillips was quoted as saying by US broadcaster CNN.

Holm, who celebrated her 95th birthday at the York Theatre on 29 April, is survived by her husband Frank Basile, 49, and two sons from her first and third marriages. Basile, an opera singer, is Holm's fifth husband. The two married in 2004 when Holm was 87.

The New York-born actress, who rose to fame with 1943 musical Oklahoma, was estranged from her son after they filed a financial lawsuit against her and Basile, costing Holm a significant portion of the income she made through her film career. The family feud, which ended last year, left Holm almost penniless after which she announced she wasn't talking to her sons. Holm was admitted to a New York City hospital last week with dehydration but came home on Friday.

"I think she wanted to be here, in her home, among her things, with people who loved her," Phillips said.

Celeste Holm's association with art and the entertainment industry began on stage. She took to Broadway theatre first before starring in the 1946 musical film Three Little Girls in Blue. Besides winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1947, Holm was also nominated twice for the Academy Award for her performances in Come to the Stable (1949) and All About Eve (1950).

We bring here a pictorial tribute to the deceased actress showcasing some of the best photographs from her lifetime...