Vivian Brown, one of San Francisco’s celebrated Brown twins, dies at 85

Vivian Brown was eight minutes older than her sister Marian and in life they were inseparable, famous as transplanted Michigan twins who for years walked the city’s streets in matching outfits and appeared together in television commercials for Reebok, Virgin Atlantic Airlines, and others. Vivian died Wednesday night in an assisted living facility, where she had been cared for after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Chronicle Worth reading: Sam Whiting’s update of the twins last month in the Chronicle. Photo is from the artist who uses the name Fourteen 14 and whose sketches of the sisters may be viewed at the blog Resplendent Chaos.