Jane Russell dies at 89

One of the biggest sex symbols of Hollywood’s golden era, Jane Russell, has died at her home in California. She was 89 and had been suffering from a respiratory-related illness for several weeks.
The voluptuous brunette got her break when Howard Hughes cast her in his 1943 western, The Outlaw. She starred alongside Bob Hope in 1948’s The Paleface, as well as co-starring with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Robert Mitchum, Victor Mature and Vincent Price.
But her most memorable roles was as the showgirl Dorothy Shaw in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, with Marilyn Monroe, in 1953.
She noted that her film roles dried up in the 1960s, because it was hard for women to get good roles in Hollywood after the age of thirty. By the 1970s, she had returned to the stage, starring in Broadway musicals. She also starred in several TV shows and had a recording career.
Jane Russell married three times and adopted three children; as a result of her experiences, she founded an agency which has helped Americans adopt tens of thousands of children from around the world.

Leave a Reply