The Heartbreaking Death Of HSN Star Marilyn Miglin

While Marilyn Miglin is best known for her beauty empire and HSN hosting duties, she was also an activist who served on Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's special committee on tourism, as an officer of the Chicago Convention, on the State of Illinois Board of Economic Development, and on the board of directors of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, according to her website. Under her leadership, the Oak Street Council in Chicago raised more than $1 million to preserve and promote the area, leading the city to rename its shopping district "Marilyn Miglin Way." In addition, she advocated for burn survivors, and the Raoul Wallenberg Pediatric Day Hospital in Jerusalem dedicated a burn and disfigurement unit to her in June 1998.

Miglin leaves behind two children, Duke and Marlena (via the Daily Mail). And even when she and her kids suffered the unimaginable loss of her husband, Lee Miglin, Miglin was determined to be a source of strength for her family. "I know that there is a beginning and an end for everyone," she told the Chicago Tribune. "Now, why this way? Why us? That I don't know... But I am grateful for what we had. We lived life to the fullest, we climbed all the mountains. We didn't just talk about it, we did it — and that is what has sustained me."