Marilyn Miglin, who will be remembered as the host of Home Shopping Network’s The Queen Of Makeovers for her work as a makeover queen, has died at the age of 83. Ms. Miglin died at her home in Chicago, Illinois, surrounded by her family after suffering a heart attack. According to initial news reports, no cause of death was indicated. Her family released a statement saying that Ms. Miglin would be “much missed by all who knew her.”
Miglin was dubbed “The Queen of Makeovers” for her fragrances, skincare goods, and cosmetics line she marketed on Home Shopping Network, but she was also an activist, philanthropist, and politician.
In May 1997, Lee Miglin was murdered in his Chicago home by Andrew Cunanan, a serial murderer. In 1997, Andrew Cunanan was responsible for the killing of fashion designer Gianni Versace.
For more than 25 years, Miglin hosted Home Shopping Network in front of a crowd of more than 65 million people. Her appearance on the show put her on Forbes magazine’s list of the top 500 women business owners in the United States.
Apart from business, she was also recognized for her work in the beauty industry. She also visited the University of Illinois Craniofacial Center on a regular basis to help individuals with facial disfigurements. In recognition of her generosity to the community, Chicago announced April 15 as Marilyn Miglin Day.
She was also active in politics. She served on Mayor Richard M. Daley’s special committee on tourism, as an officer of the Chicago Convention and the State of Illinois Board of Economic Development, and on the Board of Directors at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Marilyn, rest in peace. You will be sorely mourned!
Home Shopping Network (HSN) is an American broadcast, satellite, and cable television network, founded on April 2, 1987 by Roy Speer. Speer was the founder of the Home Shopping Club (now known as HSN), a home-shopping service. The channel features product demonstrations, interviews with celebrity designers, and product reviews.
HSN is available to approximately 95 million households in the United States as of 2015, and its website ranks 60th among all retail websites by traffic. The company has recently begun broadcasting limited amounts of live programming on its main channel, including coverage of red carpet events such as award shows and fashion weeks.
In February 2010, HSN launched a high-definition simulcast feed, which broadcasts in 1080i resolution; it is available on all major cable and satellite providers. In November 2009, HSN relaunched two digital cable channels: ShopHQ (formerly known as “The Store”) and BeautyiQ (formerly known as “HSN2”). Both channels are available on select cable providers as well as online via Hulu Plus.
In March 2007, HSN entered into a partnership with NBC Universal to launch a new channel, ShopNBC. The channel was later rebranded as “HSN2” in February 2010. In November 2009, HSN launched a third digital cable channel, BeautyiQ.
On August 26, 2013, HSN acquired the assets of Cornerstone Brands (owners of the home brands Ballard Designs, Frontgate, Grandin Road and Garnet Hill) for $275 million. On September 30, 2014, HSN announced it would acquire the assets of the remaining two members of the Cornerstone Brands group: Smith & Hawken and Improvements Catalog for $170 million.
