Helene Louise Riley; Retired Singer
Helene Louise Riley, who was once billed “The California Nightingale” when she sang on Los Angeles stages, has died at a Sherman Oaks hospital. She was 88.
A Van Nuys resident, Mrs. Riley died Saturday of heart failure, said her brother, Lewis Heller of Studio City.
Born in Chicago, she came to California as a child and began as a classical singer on Los Angeles stages in her teens. A soprano, she was known as Helene Heller--The California Nightingale. She graduated from Manual Arts High School and met comedian George Riley in the early 1920s. They teamed up as “Heller and Riley” and performed their comedy and singing act throughout the United States and Europe until the early 1950s. Mrs. Riley then went to work as a fine jewelry saleswoman at Robinson’s department store in Beverly Hills, where she worked until the early 1970s.
In addition to her brother, Mrs. Riley is survived by three nieces. Her husband died in 1971.
A memorial service was held Wednesday. Malinow & Silverman Mortuary in Los Angeles handled the arrangements.
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