'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' actor Sally Ann Howes dies at 91

Sally Ann Howes, who played as a child actor before she later starred in the 1968 film “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” with Dick Van Dyke, has died

LOS ANGELES -- Sally Ann Howes, who played as a child actor before she later starred in the 1968 film “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” with Dick Van Dyke, has died. She was 91.

Her son Andrew Hart Adler confirmed his mother's death in an interview with the Press Association on Wednesday. Her nephew, Toby Howes, said on Twitter that the family hoped Howes could “hold on” until the Christmas screening of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” but he said she ultimately died peacefully in her sleep.

The cause of Howes' death has not been released.

The New York Times reported she died in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on Sunday.