Judy Garland was just 16 years old when she was cast as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz – and was subsequently catapulted to the height of Hollywood fame.
Born Frances Ethal Gumm, Judy was born to two vaudeville performing parents and began performing on stage aged just two. Even her early life was rife with upset as her dad Frank frequently had affairs with young men.
Controlled by her mum Ethel, Judy was fed a diet of pills from the age of 10.
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She would be given amphetamines in the morning and sleeping tablets at night.
Things only got worse later in life. Judy ended up penniless, singing in clubs for just $100 (£80) a night, and eventually died of an overdose aged just 47.
Daily Star takes a look at her tragic life.
Starvation diet
(Image: Getty Images)
Signing on a contract with MGM as one of its many young stars, Judy was forced to balance filming three movies at a time with her school work.
Given pills to survive on and often working until 5am, Judy became dependent on tablets by the age of 15.
But it was getting her big break as Dorothy in 1939 that set her on the path to ruin, as she was forced to lose weight to appear younger in the role after winning it from Shirley Temple.
Judy was put on a strict diet by the studio of chicken soup, black coffee, 80 cigarettes per day, diet pills and amphetamines.
In addition, a corset was laced around her waist and she was given a prosthetic nose.
One reason for her firing from Annie Get Your Gun in 1949 was listed as being “overweight”.
Abusive husbands
(Image: Mirrorpix)
Judy tied the knot five separate times – first at the age of 19 to 30-year-old composer David Rose.
They later split, and Judy went on to marry director Vincente Minnelli, welcoming a child, Liza, together. But things went south when Judy discovered her husband was having an affair with another man.
She welcomed two children with her third husband, Sidney Luft. But her fourth, Mark Herron, was gay and abused Judy – leading to another divorce.
She finally married Mickey Deans when he delivered drugs to her, and they were married for three months until Judy’s death.
Sexual harassment
(Image: Getty Images)
On set of The Wizard of Oz, Judy had to deal with a whole range of horrors.
She was often groped by the male actors who played the munchkins. According to her third husband Sidney Luft: “They thought they could get away with anything because they were so small.
“They would make Judy’s life miserable on set by putting their hands under her dress. The men were 40 or more years old.”
She was also repeatedly propositioned for sex by MGM executives, including studio boss Louis B Mayer.
Mayer would compliment her voice by placing his hand on her breast, pretending to touch her heart.
Judy claimed she was abused by another studio exec who she kept anonymous, who demanded she have sex with him after she was summoned to his office.
She described it as a “yes or no, right now” situation, and said he threatened to ruin her career if she refused.
Forced abortions
(Image: Getty Images)
Judy first fell pregnant at the age of 19 with her first husband, but was quickly pressured into having an abortion by her mother and by David himself.
The pair were worried having a baby so young would ruin Judy’s image.
She later underwent another abortion with her third husband, who didn’t react well to the news of her pregnancy.
In his autobiography, Luft wrote: “I found myself saying, ‘Of course I want your baby, but we’ve got a show to do’.
“Because of my negative reaction, Judy didn’t confide in me where and when she was going to have the abortion. I wasn’t attentive. I didn’t send flowers.”
Homeless and penniless
(Image: Daily Mail/REX/Shutterstock)
By the end of her life, Judy was penniless and addicted to drugs – and in her desperate state was virtually homeless.
She earned $100 per night singing in clubs, and owed thousands in taxes to the IRS after mismanagement of her funds.
The Observer described one of her performances, explaining Judy was “thinner now, almost haggard, her hair flicked back like a boy’s. Her orange sequinned suit makes her jaunty – a pantomime principal boy got lost in the East End.”
The review went on: “’I love you all,’ she cries. She drinks and toasts herself. Her words become more and more slurred […] The audience heckles and interrupts.”
Tragic death
(Image: Bettmann Archive)
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Eventually, Judy died from an accidental barbiturate overdose while in London on June 22, 1969.
It was less than two weeks after her 47th birthday.
Her husband Mickey told the coroner’s court after her death that the pair had watched a film together before going to bed, and the next morning found her slumped on the bathroom floor with the door bolted.
The coroner concluded that Judy died from an accidental overdose, and that there was no evidence to suggest that it was a deliberate action by the actress.
Coroner Gavin Thurston told press at the time: “This is quite clearly an accidental circumstance to a person who was accustomed to taking barbiturates over a very long time.”
In her later years, Judy is also reported to have suffered from liver problems, acute hepatitis, kidney ailments and injuries suffered in falls.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
