Tova Borgnine, an early star of home shopping network QVC and a beauty products entrepreneur, died on Feb. 26 at her home in Chester County, Pa. She was 80.
Her death was announced by Michele Uram, president of Tova Beverly Hills, her company. No cause of death was given.
Tova Borgnine joined QVC in 1991, selling her beauty line and her perfume, Tova Signature, and later jewelry. Propelled by television, she grew her business to grossing close to $20 million a year.
The fifth wife of actor Ernest Borgnine, the couple married in 1973. While their business endeavors often kept them apart, Tova Borgnine published a book in 1997 about the experience, titling it Being Married Happily Forever: 22 Secrets, 12 Strategies, and 8 Compromises.
Born on November 17, 1941, in Oslo, Norway, Tova Borgnine was a beauty entrepreneur who got her start running a New Jersey shore cosmetics boutique. From that, she moved to Nevada, selling skin care to Las Vegas showgirls. The formula for it was allegedly based on a Mexican family’s ancient line of cactus-based products.
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