Although she was semi-retired and living in New York in 1971, Paramount offered her the role of Anthony Perkins' wife in Play It As It Lays (1972). She returned to Los Angeles in preparation for her role, but suffered a fatal stroke before filming began.
Her accomplishments as a pianist were evident in her early Hollywood days when she made several important recordings, including Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue!
Her father, Louis William Loehr, was a prosperous oil company exec and her mother, the former Eartha Thes, an accomplished pianist and teacher who guided Diana's early musical career. By age 12, the young prodigy was playing with the Los Angeles Junior Symphony Orchestra.
Her second husband's mother was Dorothy Schiff, longtime owner and publisher of the New York Post.
In the late 60s, she operated "GO," a travel agency which was situated at a Bonwit Teller store in New York.
Proved to be a highly-praised Broadway performer, and critical appreciation was strong. She followed Barbara BelGeddes in the title role in 'Mary Mary' to acclaim, and starred in both new plays and comedies as well as revivals.
Retired for the most part in 1970 to become the director of GO (Travel) Agency in Manhattan, but died a year later at age 45, just nine days after suffering a stroke.
Starred with the late Gail Russell in the highly popular movie Our Hearts Were Young and Gay (1944), in which she played writer Emily Kimbrough and Russell played close friend and author Cornelia Otis Skinner. Ironically, both Kimbrough and Skinner would outlive their 20-odd-years younger screen portrayers.