Anita Darian

She was born Anita Margaret Esgandarian in Detroit, Michigan, of Iranian Armenian descent.

She later studied opera at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and the Juilliard School in New York, but first came to popular attention as a featured singer with the short-lived Sauter-Finegan jazz band of the mid-1950s, with whom she recorded for RCA Victor.

She settled in New York City and worked in everything from opera and classical recitals to television jingles and cartoon voice-overs.

[2] Darian also sang the female soprano portion on The Tokens' 1961 #1 hit "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".

[4] Darian died on February 1, 2015, aged 87, at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, New York, due to surgical complications.