Her son, actor Lorenzo Lamas, posted on Facebook, saying: "She was the most positive influence on my life. I will remember her laughter, her joy, her dignity as she navigated the challenges that she faced. Never an ill word about anyone crossed her lips. Her ability to forgive left me speechless at times. She truly was a force of nature and as we got closer in my adult life, I leaned on her more and more as my life counselor and the person I knew that lived and loved to the fullest."
Born in Minneapolis, Dahl started out as a model and worked in theatre before coming to Hollywood in 1946. She was briefly under contract at Warner Bros, then signed with MGM.