The Lennon Sisters Now: The 5 Singers Have Changed with Age Yet Still Sound ‘Young’ 4 of Them Have Big Families

• Sixty-eight years have passed since The Lennon Sisters’ dynamic voices were discovered worldwide.
• The sisters are still alive, between the ages of 67 and 83, married, remain closer than ever, and two of them have grandchildren. Three of the sisters still perform today, and their fans are amazed by the maintenance of their beautiful voices.
• Here is a look inside what their lives look like today.

The Lennon Sisters are most likely America’s longest-standing singing girl group that emerged in the ’50s. The insanely talented group of sisters come from a Catholic musical family of eleven children and have been singing since childhood.

The sisters are Californians, born in Venice. Though not all eleven children had an affinity for the show business industry, the quartet of older sisters – Dianne (DeeDee), Peggy, Kathy, and Janet Lennon, always enjoyed harmonizing and singing.

Lawrence Welk Jr., the son of American artist and host Lawrence Welk, discovered the quartet of sisters. The eldest Lennon sister, Dianne, had gone to school with Welk Jr., and the pair had actually started dating. One day after school, Welk Jr. brought the group of sisters home to his dad for them to perform for him.

Welk Sr. was so impressed by their talent that he invited them to appear on his show, “The Lawrence Welk Show.” In 1955, the band appeared on the show’s Christmas Eve TV broadcast, where they sang an acapella version of “He.” The quartet became instantly popular and recognized for their musical prowess.

The girls were still young at the time they got their start in the industry. The youngest sisters, Kathy and Janet Lennon, recalled being only twelve and nine years old.

The performers started out as child stars, but their childhood was never compromised. One of the youngest of the group – Janet, reports that the sisters had a wonderful childhood, so much so that they wouldn’t mind reliving the experiences again.

The Lennon Sisters were raised in a loving, stable, and secure environment that prioritized the importance of responsibilities and household duties. The second youngest sister of the group shared a glimpse into what their day-to-day would look like after they got done performing:

“Mom and Dad made it such a normal childhood even though we were doing…shows and a weekly television show every Saturday night for 13 years, and then our own shows. We would sing and then go home and do dishes and change younger siblings’ diapers and do our homework and go to regular school.”

The songstresses’ musical talents became hugely sought after, and in 1994, upon request from Welk Jr., the sisters began to be featured as recurring acts in “The Lawrence Welk Show.” The Lennon Sisters quickly became the program’s stars.

The show was taped in Branson, Mo., where Welk Jr. had built a resort center and theater. The sisters continued performing even after all of them got engaged and married.

In 1968, the angelic-sounding artists posed in bridal gowns for one of TV Radio Mirror magazine’s covers. The article covered a story about which sister supposedly lived the “happiest” married life. The cover story also alluded to giving insight into which one of the sisters had the hardest time adjusting to married life.

The four sisters looked stunning in their uniquely designed wedding dresses which were all white. Veils and tiaras accompanied all the gowns, and all four sisters looked happy in the photos.

The sister singing group remained closer than ever after they had all married. Keeping their sibling bond and their family close never changed from being their top priority while they carried on performing.

The Lennon Sisters pride themselves on being humble and leading lives that are rooted in normality, reality, and gratitude. The second eldest sister, Peggy Lennon, disclosed the fact that she and her sisters were always taught the importance of grounding themselves in having family values over being charmed by fame:

“We were family, not TV people. When we got married, people sent us wedding presents.”

Despite founding their own families after getting married, the sisters still lived close to one another in Los Angeles – approximately 15 minutes apart. Even as showbiz working moms, the musical quartet diligently ensures their families are well cared for.

Monetary-wise, the siblings are responsible when it comes to their spending habits. They claim that they go through the same challenges that any other mother in the U.S. does, and older sister, Peggy, attests to this:

“None of us has a lot of money in our savings, even though we’ve worked for 26 years. The responsibility of being mothers is much more important than stashing away a million bucks. In a sense, we’re struggling away just like any other mother in the U.S.”

It has been sixty-eight years since The Lennon Sisters started in the music industry. Fans wondered what had happened to the beautiful artists since they were last seen performing many years ago.

However, in 2020 the group (now a trio) made an appearance on KMOV to talk about reprising their starring role on The Andy Williams Ozark Mountain Christmas Show. The sisters also performed a Christmas hymn, and fans were instantly transported back in time to the days when the group was in its prime.

Fans of The Lennon Sisters immediately flooded the Youtube clip’s comment section with loving comments. A few commentators noted the band’s extended absence from the performance realm, with one person even thinking that some sisters had passed away.

Many had even thought the entire group had retired and stopped singing altogether. One fan, in particular, was so overjoyed to discover the group was still alive and well:

“Lennon sisters!? Oh, God! Thank God they[‘re] still alive.”

The outpouring of love from their fans continued with even more compliments allocated to their never-ending singing prowess. Many fans were pleasantly surprised to find that the singers had maintained their beautiful and angelic voices from when they first got their start some decades ago.

Comments about how “heavenly,” “amazing,” and “young” their voices sounded took center stage. Fans expected the aged beauties to sound different than they did in the past.

The group now performs as a trio of sisters – original members Kathy and Janet were joined by their other sister Mimi Lennon. Peggy Lennon retired in 1999, and that’s when her younger sister, Mimi, came in as her replacement.

In 1987, The Lennon Sisters were awarded their Hollywood Walk of Fame stars for contributions they made to the television industry. The group was also inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001.

The eldest Lennon sister has lived a largely accomplished and successful lifestyle. Outside of her gifted singing ability, she has been a kindergarten teacher, which she claims to love because of her love of children.

The sisters have remained as close confidantes throughout the storms they have encountered throughout their lives. One of the most significant difficulties was their father’s – William Herbert Lennon – untimely and tragic death. The father of the singing group was murdered by a crazed fan and stalker who believed he was the husband of one of the sisters.

Though the family went through a very challenging time when this happened, the siblings persevered through strength, faith, and, most importantly, unity. Kathy Lennon stated the following about the tragic event:

“The tragedy changed all of our lives, yet we came out knowing we had each other. We had [our] Mom, and we were blessed together.”

As mentioned earlier in the story, all the Lennon sisters are married, some have their own children, and two are grandmothers today. Janet got married in 1966 to Lee Bernhardi and had three children before divorcing in 1976 when she went on to marry John Bahler.

Kathy Lennon (now Daris) married her first husband, Mahlon Clark, in 1967 and got divorced in 1981. She then married James Daris a year later, in 1982.

Before replacing her sister to become the third member of The Lennon Sisters, Mimi Lennon organized the group’s fan mail. She is a mother of two, whom she shares with her spouse, Daniel Macias. The pair married in 1977 and have become grandparents of four.

Though The Lennon Sisters were idolized, favored, and adored by many across the globe, fans still had a favorite Lennon sister, and that sister was Peggy Lennon. The favorite Lennon sister is still loved immensely by many, despite her retirement from the musical group.

In a nostalgic throwback photo of the singing legend, an influx of comments spoke to how much fans of the sister group love the artist. A few commentators stated that she had been a long-time favorite of theirs ever since the band was initially formed.

The singing talent is adored by her fans immensely. In a recent picture her daughter, Julianne Mary Cathcart, posted, Lennon was seen sitting on a couch with American actor and producer Kelsey Grammer.

Fans of the star boasted about how “fantastic” and amazing she still looks today. Many praise the favorite Lennon sister for her talents, sweet personality, and still gracefully beautiful appearance.

Before Lennon married Bob Felt, she was married to Dick Cathcart for 30 years before he passed away from cancer in 1993. In 1995 she married Felt, a doctor, and when she retired from the singing group, she left Branson to be closer to her husband, whose medical practice was located in Los Angeles at the time. Lennon revealed how the couple fell in love while reminiscing over her performance days:

“After Bob went home to Los Angeles, we talked on the phone, and eventually, we fell in love – long-distance. [After we got married] Bob had his practice in Los Angeles, and I had my work at the Champagne Theater, so for four crazy years, every two months, Bob came to visit me for a week.”

After losing Cathcart and finding love again with Felt, Lennon became blissfully happy being a wife again and enjoyed solidifying her close relationship with her daughter Julianne Mary Cathcart, who was born during her previous marriage. Currently, Lennon enjoys carrying out her grandmotherly duties to her daughter’s kids and still performs occasionally, with the accompaniment of her son, Michael Cathcart.

After Mimi replaced Peggy when she retired, the Lennon group’s eldest sister, Dianne, who had been battling cancer and is now a cancer survivor, retired from the band in 2001, but the group remained touring as a trio. According to her sisters, “Dee Dee” was always the most organized and in control sibling of the family.

The big sister of 10 other children would always be the most helpful when it came to looking after and protecting her siblings. In a loving birthday tribute dedicated to her, The Lennon Sisters expressed the following sentiments about their fierce protector:

“Dianne Barbara Lennon Gass, our sister [was] always the most beautiful and so organized and in control. As children, being the oldest, she helped us when we were on tour and traveling.”

Lennon married her husband, Richard “Dick” Edward Gass, in 1960, and the couple shares three children together. Lennon had been very expressive about the fact that she had always wanted to become a wife and mother, and once she became a wife and mother, she found herself absolutely thrilled.

In a past sit-down interview with OETA, Lennon spoke openly about her life. The singing sensation disclosed the intricate details of her and her husband’s journey to parenthood:

“When we got married, we wanted to have a family right away, and I was told I probably couldn’t have any children, so we adopted darling little Mary. We brought her home at a day and a half, and then nine months and three days later, we had Dee Dee, and 18 months later, we had Tommy. So I had three in 27 months after being told I would never have any.”

After she had gotten married, Lennon decided to leave the show The Lennon Sisters were part of. She stated that it was a joint decision between her and her husband and said she wanted to spend more time at home.

However, after two years of being off the show, Lennon made her return when her husband’s phone company went on strike. The couple feared their adoption process would be halted due to both becoming unemployed, so after a phone call from Welk Sr., Lennon returned for the Saturday shows.

Lennon was a true daddy’s girl; she and her father shared a very close relationship throughout his life. Being the eldest of 11 and having three additional girls following after her, Lennon’s father had long wanted a boy in the family. The singing sister quips about how she metaphorically became her dad’s boychild at one point in time:

“Because he had four girls first and wanted a boy, so I was his ‘boy,’ and I used to go play golf with him early in the morning before school when I was six. We went to every UCLA football game, [and] Rams’ football game; I was his boy, and I really enjoyed that.”

The eldest Lennon sister has lived a largely accomplished and successful lifestyle. Outside of her gifted singing ability, she has been a kindergarten teacher, which she claims to love because of her love of children.

She is also extremely passionate about being a grandmother to her grown-up children’s kids. Though she has pretty much lived a life in which most, if not all, her dreams were accomplished, a future dream of hers is to own a quaint bookstore.

Lennon’s dream of owning her own bookstore is one that stems from her love of teaching and reading. She explained how she envisions this plan coming to fruition:

“In the very back of my mind, someday, I would like to open a little bookshop with a bakery upstairs or something. And I’d like to have people come by and read old books, and I’d like to bake the things, and I don’t know, just visit with people. That would be way in the back of my mind someday.”

Lennon now spends her days in retirement, enjoying the love of her children, grandchildren, and husband. The sisters remain best friends with hearts of gold who keep family as their number one priority. After their debut on Welk’s show, the iconic music group still performs today and can be seen in the cities they frequent.