Eadie Del Rubio; Member of Musical Triplets

Eadie Del Rubio, one-third of “3 Gals 3 Guitars,” a trio that performed for six decades in showcases ranging from television comedy to retirement homes, has died, a spokeswoman announced Wednesday.

People who know and worked with Del Rubio and her sisters speculated that they are in their 70s. She died Monday of cancer at Torrance Memorial Medical Center, spokeswoman Lisa Reeder said.

Del Rubio and her identical sisters, Milly and Elena, have performed their music as a trio for 60 years, including stints on the television shows “Ellen,” “The Golden Girls,” “Full House,” “Married With Children” and “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.”

In addition to live performances on the retirement home circuit, the guitar-playing siblings also produced three albums: “Jingle Belles,” “3 Gals, 3 Guitars,” and “Whip It.”

“They all have such high energy, literally bubbling with enthusiasm whenever they talked,” said Sue Behrstock, activities director at Playa del Rey Rehabilitation and Care Center.

Behrstock, who said the Del Rubios had not performed at the center in more than a year, described the sisters as “mirrors of each other.”

“They really kept in good shape--long legs, short skirts and boots, lots of cleavage and blond hair,” Behrstock said.

Their act was always well received by the residents at the 99-bed facility, she said.

“They were so spiritually oriented, always blessed everybody and thanked God, and put a word of prayer into their shows,” Behrstock recalled.

Behrstock said she can’t imagine how it must be for the two remaining members of the trio. Never marrying, the inseparable sisters lived together in the San Pedro district of Los Angeles.

“We’ve worked with them, we love them. They are good friends,” said KCET’s Phil Noyes. About 12 years ago, the public service television station did a feature on the Del Rubio Triplets and their goodwill tours to retirement homes.

Calling themselves “song stylists,” the sisters’ diverse acts included mariachi strolling, country-western music, Hawaiian-calypso and holiday theme music.

A memorial service was scheduled at noon Friday at Mary Star of the Sea in San Pedro. Contributions in Del Rubio’s memory may be made to the American Foundation for AIDS Research or the Pediatric AIDS Foundation.