Santa Claus singer Bee dies at 69

Country music star Molly Bee, best known for the 1952 novelty hit I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, has died in California, aged 69.

Bee died on Saturday at a hospital in Oceanside from complications following a stroke, her manager, Rick Saphire, told Associated Press.

Beverly Washburn appeared alongside Bee in the 1958 musical comedy Summer Love.

"There was nothing phoney about her, it was all real, and everyone loved her," she said.

"She just had this kind of down-home quality about her."

Bee was just 10-years-old when she launched her music career singing Hank Williams' classic Lovesick Blues on country star Rex Allen's radio show.

Three years later she became an overnight success after releasing the novelty Christmas song.

She went on to record a number of hit country songs throughout the 1950s and appeared in several musical comedies.

Although her fame began to fade by the 1970s, she continued to tour and perform.