‘Menopause the Musical’ creator, Dixon native Jeanie Linders dies at 74

DIXON – Jeanie Linders, creator of world-renowned “Menopause the Musical” and a Dixon native, died Friday in Hendersonville, North Carolina, following complications from COPD.

Linders, 74, was an acclaimed playwright whose work in entertainment and producing spanned three decades including theater, music festivals and celebrity-driven events.

“Dixon was always in her heart; she always talked about it and did things behind the scenes.”

—  Scott Fattizzi, manager of The Dixon Historic Theatre

She wrote and produced “Menopause the Musical,” which premiered in Orlando, Florida, in 2001 and has since reached more than 17 million people across 16 countries. It’s also the longest running scripted musical in Las Vegas history since 2006.

“With her show ‘Menopause the Musical,’ she let women face menopause head-on and that it wasn’t something to be afraid of,” said Scott Fattizzi, manager of The Dixon Historic Theatre and a friend of Linders. “She turned it into a raucous fun time.”

A 1966 Dixon High School grad, Linders always kept in contact with her friends in town and was looking into filming a sitcom in Dixon before her illness progressed, Fattizzi said.

“Dixon was always in her heart; she always talked about it and did things behind the scenes,” he said, adding that she paid for the plaque for the James A. Wiltz Auditorium at Dixon High School to honor the longtime teacher and choral director who taught from 1960 to 1993.

She also donated to ovarian cancer research and established the Jeanie Linders Fund, which provided funding to build two dozen houses in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina as well as put 28 girls through school in Africa, Fattizzi said.

“Jeanie was very tough but fair and dedicated to the arts and performances and giving back,” he said.

Linders would joke that she was the third most-famous person from Dixon, behind Ronald Reagan and former comptroller Rita Crundwell, he said.

Linders was presented with the Veteran Feminist Medal of Honor by Gloria Steinem, and she worked as a marketing and development consultant for playwrights and theatrical facilities nationally.

In 2017, she was part of forming Cue Theatricals, a Florida-based production company that brought seven nationally touring shows to the Dixon theater in efforts to show the facility’s potential for revitalization but did not seek a second season. She also made an offer in 2015 to buy the theater but was turned down.

Celebration of life ceremonies are being planning in Orlando and Dixon at a date yet to be determined.

Donations in Linder’s name can be made to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition or The Dixon Historic Theatre.