Lily Post

Lily Post (1856–1899) was an American actress and operatic soprano whose career spanned the 1880s and 1890s. Her Broadway appearances are documented between 1882 and 1883, and her stage work extended across more than a decade of professional performance.

Among her theatrical credits, Post appeared in The Queen's Lace Handkerchief during the 1882–83 season, The Black Hussar in 1885, and Bluebeard Jr. in 1889. Her stage career brought her into productions alongside performers including Marie Jansen, Fanny Rice, and Mathilde Cottrelly. She performed music composed by Edward Solomon and Signor Perugini, both of whom had at different times been married to Lillian Russell. In 1893, Post introduced a popular piece titled Momma's Love Song.

Post's personal life included two marriages. In January 1890, she was granted a divorce from Frank Blair, a fellow performer. The couple had one child, and child support became a point of contention in the proceedings, as Blair contested payment on the grounds that Post's theatrical earnings had made her financially comfortable. By 1889, Post had reportedly married Will H. Morton, a theater manager based in Chicago. The marriage lasted until Morton's death in 1895; he had entered an insane asylum and died from paresis, a condition associated with syphilis.

Post's final years followed a similar trajectory. On April 3, 1899, she was admitted to a sanitarium in San Francisco by her son, having been described in contemporary press accounts as demented. She died the following day, April 4, 1899, from a heart attack, a condition that can occur as a complication of syphilis.