Sad news. I always loved Jane Russell. Like most screen legends of that time she is blatantly under-rated because of Marilyn Monroe..but Jane Russell was the bomb.
Discovered by Howard Hughes, she left the spotlight in the 1960′s for a quieter life after starring in tons of classic movies.
Russell, surrounded by family members, died Monday at her home in the central coast city of Santa Maria. Her death from respiratory failure came 70 years after Hughes had put her on the path to stardom with his controversial Western “The Outlaw.” She was 89.
Although she had all but abandoned Hollywood after the 1960s for a quieter life, her daughter-in-law Etta Waterfield said Russell remained active until just a few weeks ago when her health began to fail. Until then she was active with her church, charities that were close to her heart and as a member of a singing group that made occasional appearances around Santa Maria.
“She always said I’m going to die in the saddle, I’m not going to sit at home and become an old woman,” Waterfield told The Associated Press on Monday. “And that’s exactly what she did, she died in the saddle.”
Since I’m sure someone will say it..I’ll say it too. She was just THIS CLOSE to getting mentioned at this years Oscars. Now she’ll have to wait until the 2012 broadcast to for her death to be recognized.