One of the Iconic, Outfit-Matching Brown Twins of SF Dies

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The Brown sisters were adorable San Francisco characters who went everywhere together, always in identical (and fabulous) outfits. Sadly, on Monday evening, Vivian Brown, twin sister to Marian, died peacefully in her sleep at 85.

They hailed from Michigan, were co-valedictorians in high school, and graduated from Western Michigan University with degrees in business education. They came to SF in the '70s to escape the cold winters and hot summers. The move worked out well: In 1988 they gained national fame when they were featured in a Reebok ad, which led to other modeling gigs with IBM, Payless, Virgin Atlantic Airlines, Joe Boxer, AT&T, Dell, Atachi, and Apple. They appeared on the Richard Simmons Show, the Late Show With Tom Snyder, the Vicki Lawrence show. Richard Branson flew them to London for Virgin Atlantic and took them on a shopping trip to Harrods.

The pair owned more than 100 matching outfits—what a wonderful closet that must be. Vivian passed away after a short stint at a nursing home after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Marian still lives in the Nob Hill apartment she shared with her sister for decades, now dining daily at Uncle Vito's pizza at Bush and Powell on her own. We could not be more sorry for her loss.
· One of S.F.s' twin Brown sisters dies [SF Gate]
· SF's iconic Brown twins face life apart [SF Gate]