History of Maggie Peterson in Timeline
January 10, 1941
Margaret Ann Peterson (January 10, 1941 – May 15, 2022) was an American actress and singer. She was best known for playing Charlene Darling on The Andy Griffith Show. She also played the character of Doris in the episode "A Girl for Goober" (1968).
1954
In 1954 at a Capitol Records convention, Dick Linke (manager of Andy Griffith and Jim Nabors) heard Peterson singing and was so impressed with her, he encouraged her to come to New York. So in 1958, after graduating high school, Peterson and the group did just that. They landed a number of stints on the Perry Como Show and the Pat Boone Show, and in 1959, they released their album It's the Most Happy Sound. Soon after, the band broke up and went back home.
September 1963
Peterson landed a role as Susie, the coffee-shop waitress on The Bill Dana Show, another spin-off from The Danny Thomas Show, which aired from September 1963 to January 1965.
1968
In 1968, while she was singing as an opening act for Andy Griffith at a casino in Lake Tahoe, Peterson met jazz musician Ronald Bernard "Gus" Mancuso who was playing bass in a lounge act. The two married in 1978, and were together until his death in 2021. The couple spent a number of years in Los Angeles, where Peterson worked doing commercials, until they decided to settle in Las Vegas, where Peterson worked as a location scout for film and television.
1969
In 1969, she starred on the big screen as “Rose Ellen”, girlfriend to Don Knotts in the comedy movie The Love God?.
April 2008
In April 2008, the Darlings received a star on the Missouri Walk of Fame in Marshfield, Missouri. Peterson and Darlings/Dillards band members Dean Webb and Mitch Jayne were on hand representing the Darlings.
May 2016
In May 2016 and May 2019, Peterson appeared as a guest of honor at the Mayberry in the Midwest Festival in Danville, Indiana.
May 15, 2022
According to a statement from a family relative who identified her as "Aunt Maggie", Peterson died in her sleep, surrounded by family and friends, on May 15, 2022, aged 81. She had been in declining health following the death of her husband Gus.