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<\/p>\nProducers worried audiences wouldn\u2019t believe such a small 13-year-old girl could sing the way she did. Still, she kept working. When MGM loaned her out to Fox for Pigskin Parade, her performance was so strong that her home studio finally began giving her real roles.<\/p>\n
Her father died of spinal meningitis
\nThe rising star had barely left the stage following a broadcast when tragedy struck \u2014 her father died of spinal meningitis. Heartbroken, she kept going.<\/p>\n
Film followed film. She rehearsed for Thoroughbreds Don\u2019t Cry even before her previous project wrapped, then moved straight into Everybody Sing. Tours, radio spots, promotions \u2014 the whirlwind never stopped. MGM quickly realized she paired perfectly with a young actor named Mickey Rooney, and together they made a long string of hits.<\/p>\n
With the exhausting schedule came something darker: the pills she relied on to stay awake, to sleep, to keep her weight down \u2014 a cycle that slowly became an addiction.<\/p>\n
Then came 1939: the role that changed everything.<\/p>\n
Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince later noted:<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018The Wizard of Oz\u2019 marked a turning point in her career. It was the beginning of her later legend as she danced along the Yellow Brick Road in ruby slippers, which, decades later, would fetch big bucks at an auction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Only after that unforgettable performance did the world finally know her name.<\/p>\n
Judy Garland.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m the queen of the comeback\u201d
\nThe Wizard of Oz\u201d was hailed by critics, yet its enormous production and marketing expenses \u2014 roughly $4 million at the time, equal to about $71 million today \u2014 made it a risky venture for the studio. The film helped make Garland one of the most bankable actresses in the United States.<\/p>\n
She continued with work in films such as Meet Me in St Louis in 1944 and Easter Parade in 1946.<\/p>\n
In 1954, the world saw Judy Garland take on what would become her final truly legendary role: Esther Blodgett (Vicki Lester) in A Star Is Born. Though she played the bright young talent on screen, her real life resembled that of Vicki\u2019s love interest, Norman Maine (James Mason), a former A-list star struggling to hold onto his career. At just 32, Garland had already spent the majority of her life performing, her career rising and crashing in tandem with her fragile physical and emotional health \u2014 a pattern that would tragically continue until her passing 15 years later.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m the queen of the comeback,\u201d she said in a 1968 interview. \u201cI\u2019m getting tired of coming back. I really am. I can\u2019t even go to\u2026 the powder room without making a comeback.\u201d<\/p>\n
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On June 22, 1969, Garland\u2019s new husband, Mickey Deans, broke down the locked bathroom door in their London apartment and found her dead at just 47 years old. An autopsy later confirmed that she had died from a self-administered accidental overdose of barbiturates, a commonly used sleep aid at the time.<\/p>\n
Coroner Gavin Thurston told the press after the autopsy,<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is quite clearly an accidental circumstance to a person who was accustomed to taking barbiturates over a very long time. She took more barbiturates than she could tolerate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though heartbreaking, her death was not entirely unexpected. Those close to her \u2014 and even the public \u2014 were well aware of her long-standing struggles with addiction.<\/p>\n
Garland had battled depression and alcoholism for years and had reportedly attempted suicide multiple times. Her third husband, Sid Luft, claimed she tried to take her own life on at least 20 separate occasions.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, the story of her life unfolded more like a tragedy than the hopeful, carefree young woman she often portrayed on screen. Despite her incredible success on stage and screen, Garland struggled with low self-esteem. She was constantly dieting, a practice critics and historians believe stemmed from executives repeatedly telling her she was an \u201cugly duckling.\u201d<\/p>\n
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At one point, Stevie Phillips, who represented Garland as her agent for four years, described her as \u201ca demented, demanding, supremely talented drug-addict.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yet biographer Royce emphasized that Garland displayed \u201castonishing strength and courage,\u201d even in the toughest times. English actor Dirk Bogarde once called her \u201cthe funniest woman I have ever met.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite her personal battles, Garland rejected the public perception of her as a tragic figure. Her younger daughter Lorna echoed this sentiment:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all have tragedies in our lives, but that does not make us tragic. She was funny and she was warm and she was wonderfully gifted. She had great highs and great moments in her career. She also had great moments in her personal life. Yes, we lost her at 47 years old. That was tragic. But she was not a tragic figure.\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve always loved The Wizard of Oz and Judy Garland as Dorothy \u2014 her singing voice was incredible. She went through so much in her life, and my heart goes out to her. May she rest in the sweetest peace, far beyond the rainbow 🌈🕊<\/p>\n