2003 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was five months short of his 90th birthday. Family Marriages Atkins married Catherine Gayle Williams (maiden; born 1914) November 27, 1936, in Los Angeles. They were divorced in 1944. She had been a dancer at the chorus line of Cotton Club productions. After leaving show business in 1942, Williams went on to earn a master's degree in Social Work from the University of Iowa and has had a distinguished career in Iowa in social work. 1932: Valedictorian, North High School, Des Moines 1980: Williams was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame November 21, 2014: Williams was honored by the Iowa House of Representatives for her life's work and in celebration of her 100th birthday Atkins married Dorothy ("Dottie") Lee Saulters (maiden; 1922–1962) September 2, 1944, in Wilmington, Delaware, while he was in the U.S. Army. Dottie, who had become his dance partner in 1942, had been married to Honi Coles from 1936 to 1944; Coles had been a longtime dance partner in shows with Atkins, and continued to perform with Atkins Atkins married Maye Ollie Harrison (1918–2004) and remained married to her until his death. References General Lewis Segal (2003-04-23). "Cholly Atkins, 89; Tap Dancer, Motown Stars' Choreographer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-09-03. Inline External links Finding aid to the Cholly Atkins collection at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Selected videos , Coles and Atkins (dance duet), aired January 3, 1965, on CBS (Hank Jones, piano); , , Coles and Atkins (dance duet) (recording date unknown) () Willie Bryant, announcer; accompanied by the Apollo Theater house band (the Paul Williams Band); Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams is in the checked jacket on bari sax , Soul Train October 11, 1975 on YouTube , and discussing Cholly Atkins' choreography of the number American choreographers American tap dancers Deaths from pancreatic cancer Motown artists Artists from Birmingham, Alabama Vaudeville performers Tony Award winners Deaths from cancer in Nevada African-American male dancers African-American dancers American male dancers 1913 births 2003 deaths African-American choreographers 20th-century American dancers African Americans in World War II United States Army personnel of World War II African-American United States Army personnel