Last of Canada’s Dionne quintuplets dies aged 91

Annette Dionne, the last surviving sister of the Canadian quintuplets, has died at 91, the Dionne Quints Home Museum has announced.

The five identical sisters, born in Ontario at the height of the Great Depression in 1934, were the first known quintuplets to survive past infancy.

They quickly became a global sensation during their childhood – starring in feature films, appearing on the covers of magazines, and endorsing products from toothpaste to syrup.

“Much beloved, Annette had championed children’s rights,” the museum said in a statement announcing her death.

The museum, which seeks to preserve their legacy and educate the public on the quintuplets’ controversial upbringing, added: “She believed it was important to maintain the Dionne Quints Museum and the history it provides for the future of all children.”

The quintuplets – Annette, Yvonne, Cécile, Émilie, and Marie – were taken away from their parents by the Ontario government when they were infants.

For several years, the authorities displayed the children in a compound dubbed “Quintland”, which became a popular tourist attraction.

The children had limited contact with their parents and siblings and were constantly observed.

Their parents later regained custody of the quintuplets.

As adults Annette, Cécile, and Yvonne sued the Ontario government for compensation over the circumstances of their childhood, and they received a settlement totalling nearly C$3m in 1998.

Annette was the last surviving sibling out of the 14 Dionne children, the Dionne Quints Home Museum said.

Prior to Annette and Cécile’s deaths this year, Émilie died in 1954, Marie died in 1970 and Yvonne died in 2001.