Bettie Page Dies at Age 85 - "Free at Last"

Bettie Page ... "Free at last!"

I think everyone knew it was coming. It's been a waiting game since the 2nd. So where does one start when the inevitable has happened? I guess to go with the standard obituary first ...

Bettie Page, the brunet pinup queen with a shoulder-length pageboy hairdo and kitschy bangs whose saucy photos helped usher in the sexual revolution of the 1960s, has died. She was 85. The L.A. Times' Louis Sahagun writes a nice obit. Sahagun was one of the last reporters to spend time with Page, back in 2006. He wrote about his visit here.

Page, whose later life was marked by depression, violent mood swings and several years in a state mental institution, died Thursday night at Kindred Hospital in Los Angeles, where she had been on life support since suffering a heart attack Dec. 2, according to her agent, Mark Roesler

"Bettie Page captured the imagination of a generation of men and women with her free spirit and unabashed sensuality," said Roesler, chairman of the Indianapolis-based CMG Worldwide, who was at Page's side when she died. "She was a dear friend and a special client and one of the most beautiful and influential
women of the 20th century."

A religious woman in her later life, Page was mystified by her influence on modern popular culture. "I have no idea why I'm the only model who has had so much fame so long after quitting work," she said in an interview with The Times in 2006. She had one request for that interview: that her face not be photographed. "I want to be remembered," she said, "as I was when I was young and in my golden times. . . . I want to be remembered as the woman who changed people's perspectives concerning nudity in its natural form."

In an interview 2 1/2 years ago, Hefner described Page's appeal as "a combination of wholesome innocence and fetish-oriented poses that is at once retro and very modern." With the help of admirers including Hefner, Page finally began receiving a respectable income for her work.

In an interview published in Playboy magazine in 2007, Page expressed mixed feelings about her achievements. "When I turned my life over to the lord Jesus I was ashamed of having posed in the nude," she said. "But now, most of the money I've got is because I posed in the nude. So I'm not ashamed of it now. But I still don't understand it."

She spent most of her final years in a one-bedroom apartment, reading the Bible, listening to Christian and country tunes, watching westerns on television, catching up on diet and exercise regimens or sometimes perusing secondhand clothing stores.

Occasionally, however, Page was persuaded to visit the Sunset Boulevard penthouse offices of her agents at CMG Worldwide to autograph pinups of herself in the post-World War II years of her prime. The agency controls her image and those of Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana, among others.
During one such event in early 2006, Page needed about 10 minutes to get through the 10 letters of her name. As she pushed her pen over a portrait of her in a negligee with an ecstatic smile, she laughed and said, "My land! Is that supposed to be me? I was never that pretty."

She is survived by her brother Jack Page of Nshville and sister Joyce Wallace of Blairsville, Ga.

With the above being said, I am very sad yet relieved for her. She is finally at peace. Not in any pain. And, because she was a Christian; with God. On my blogs about Bettie, I've never posed the nude pics, nor put info about her past problems with mental illness or brushes with the law because she really just wanted to live her life as a Christian, and if God forgives and puts the past behind you, then shouldn't we? It seems one
can never escape one's past, no matter how much one wishes. Sadly, society loves to keep at the negative things in one's life in the forefront, and I for one feel that the "past is the past." When does one let the past be for the person who lived it? What a dichotemy for Ms. Page. She said in later years in an interview published in Playboy magazine in 2007, mixed feelings about her achievements. "When I turned my life over to the lord Jesus I was ashamed of having posed in the nude," she said. "But now, most of the money I've got is because I posed in the nude. So I'm not ashamed of it now. But I still don't understand it."

Bettie Page walked away from the modeling and nudity at age 35. She became a cult figure in her later years . Everyone loved her for her smile, her bangs, her naivety, and girl next door wholesomeness ... and the nudity. Bettie turned her life around and became a Christian years ago and lived in poverty for years (while others took money for her photos, videos, etc.) and it wasn't until people like Hugh Hefner, her agent, Mark Roseler, Dave Stevens (Rocketeer) and others finally stepped in and were able to get licensing agreements and residuals for her so she could at least live somewhat comfortably. I do have to give kudo's to her handlers and agents, Bettie wanted to be remembered as she was and wanted no photos taken in her later years. How they were able to achieve that goal for her I will never know; but I am glad that she was able to have that wish. Bettie will remain forever young because that's how we see her. She was a star who shined brightly behind the clouds. God Speed Bettie. For more info on Bettie:

• http://euphorialand.wordpress.com/2008/12/11/pin-up-icon-bettie-page-dies-at-age-85/?referer=sphere_related_content/


• http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-page12-2008dec12,0,6058175.story


• http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-bettiepage-pg,0,4467285.photogallery


• http://www.usmagazine.com/news/1950s-pinup-model-bettie-page-dies-at-age-85


• http://www.psychotronic.info/archive/bettie/rumor_bettie.htm


• http://www.fullyarticulated.com/Bettie2.html


• http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/12/12/bettie.page.obit/?iref=mpstoryview

Edie Adams ... The Muriel Cigar Girl

Edie Adams died yesterday. A true glamourous woman of the 50s and 60s. Anyone remember the "Muriel Cigar" commericals with Edie Adams? They were among one of the favorites for many kids (and adults) back in the early 1960's for its catchy tune.

Dead Funnies

The picture says it all : )

Post Mortem - Info and Photos of Victorian Funerals

Came across a really cool site this morning called "Post Mortem". Lots of historical and interesting information and victorian photos. Worth a look seek ....

Did you know that in the late 1800's and early 1900's, funeral parlors would allow family members to take photos of their loved one's as a way of remembrance (they still do it in the south) or, if the family was too poor to have one taken while they were still alive, sometimes the funeral parlor would take on for them.

And, did you know....

...that most wood caskets do not seal? If you want one that seals, you have to specify that when picking or ordering one.

...that casket come in a huge variety of materials? They range from hard cloth covered compressed cardboard, to particle-board, fiberboard, pine, oak, maple, ash, mahogany, etc. Then there's 16, 18 & 20 gauge stainless steel caskets. Copper & bronze caskets can go as high as 48 ounce. There's also casket made from manufactured stone. There used to be cast iron caskets w/ glass viewing window.

...that in the old days, they would pack the funeral parlor (or the family's home if the wake was held there) with tons of flowers as a way of masking the odor of a decaying corpse? Embalming wasn't really perfected until the 20th century, and caskets were often placed on a cooling board, which resembled a tub or crate of ice under the body to slow down the decaying process.

...that around that late 1800's & early 1900's, businesses used for funeral purposes were just called Undertaker. (You've probably seen this in old western movies) The term "Undertaker" was forced to change to funeral home (or parlor) in order to sound less morbid?

for more victorian info and history check out this interesting site!

Woman Found Dead in Tow Yard

The body of an elderly woman was discovered in the front passenger side of a crumpled car in a San Fernando Valley towing company's yard -- a day after paramedics had removed her son from the same vehicle after a crash, authorities said. The woman, whose identity was not released, had apparently been left in the car at the accident scene in Tarzana even as her son was taken to a hospital, police said. The car was towed away and no one thought anything of it until the family reported there were two people in the car.

Police conducted a follow-up to the tow yard, and discovered the woman inside the vehicle," she was dead."LAPD detectives and officials swarmed the vehicle lot at Howard Sommers Towing Inc., an official police impound and tow yard in Canoga Park, trying to determine how city paramedics and traffic officers had failed to spot the woman in the damaged vehicle. The slightly built woman had been concealed beneath an air bag that had deployed during the accident, police said. The vehicle was badly banged-up after crashing into a building. [LA Times]

Steve's Dead Rock Stars

Steve's Dead Rock Stars is a memorial to the many great musicians who have blessed us with their gift. Sadly, many left the party early. Fortunately, the music lives on! This is a nice up to date site for those of us who love the music and their creators. Lots of info and again... for a change "up to date!" Info on stars such as: Dan Fogelberg, Ike Turner, Frankie Lane, Freddie Fender (to name a few) and it goes back to the 1950's!

Everybody I Shot is Dead

What a great title for a book "Everybody I Shot Is Dead"... dont'cha think? Sad thing is it is a true statement. Read about this book in today's Washington Post. think I will have to buy it. Seems like fascinating reading and looking ... great for the coffee table!

Forty-eight of the hundreds of musicians Deborah Chesher photographed from 1974-79 have since passed away. "Everybody I Shot Is Dead" is a high quality 208-page coffee-table book with over four hundred iconic never-before-published photographs, accompanied by biographies and Deborah Chesher's personal behind-the-scenes reflections of a time when music was the magic that drove a generation. Musicians honored in "Everybody I Shot Is Dead" include Ron Aspery (Back Door), Peter Bardens (Camel), Ronnie Barron (Paul Butterfield, John Mayall), Michael Bloomfield, Marc Bolan (T-Rex), John Bonham (Led Zeppelin), Tim Buckley, Paul Butterfield, Albert Collins, Papa John Creach (Jefferson Starship), Steve Currie (T-Rex), John Denver, Tom Evans (Badfinger), John Fahey, Tony Flaim (Downchild Blues Band), Rory Gallagher, Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead), Lowell George (Little Feat), Maurice Gibb(BeeGees), Mike Gibbins (Badfinger), Keith Godchaux (Grateful Dead), Pete Ham (Badfinger), George Harrison, John Hartford, Alex Harvey, Donny Hathaway, Tony Hicks (Back Door), Hollywood Fats (Jimmy Witherspoon), John Lee Hooker, Waylon Jennings, Terry Kath (Chicago), Keith Knudsen (Doobie Bros.), Rick Nelson, Harry Nilsson, Gene Pitney, Billy Preston, Malcolm Roberts, Hank Snow, Darrell Anthony Sweet (Nazareth), Stanley Turrentine, Jane Vasey (Downchild Blues Band), Carl Wilson (The Beach Boys), Dennis Wilson (The Beach Boys), Jimmy Witherspoon, Peter Wood (Al Stewart, Pink Floyd), Tammy Wynette, Mighty Joe Young, Frank Zappa.

Wikipedia's List of Unusual Deaths . . . Interesting Reading

Wikipedia's List of Unusual Deaths

In 458 B.C., an eagle clutching a tortoise mistook "a bald head for a stone" and dropped its catch on the shiny cranium—which, unfortunately, topped the body of the Greek playwright Aeschylus. Thus did the great bird bring to a close the life of the legendary philosopher-scribe. But what an ending! This tale and others like it may, just may, "be apocryphal." But that doesn't diminish the enjoyment to be found in reading through Wikipedia's list of outlandish historical deaths (or the rumors thereof). From burial by book to drowning by wine, the famous fatalities recounted here are sure to amaze you. We all know Isadora Duncan departed this life thanks to her overreaching scarf, but how many culturally literate folk know of Frank Hayes, the jockey who suffered a heart attack, but still won the race? Or that Henry I loved lampreys that much? Read, enjoy, and keep an eye out for large birds of prey toting reptiles and winging overhead.

See Me Rot.com .... Live Cams from the Grave

Personally, not for me... but ....Interesting .... SeeMeRot.com broadcasts live cams from the grave.

The SeeMeRot.com site is dedicated to all who have gone before us. They have been legally fighting as their site says: "Having had many battles in our efforts to maintain our 'Live Coffin Cams' within the interiors of our subjects' caskets. We have succeeded once again & we are in the process of hooking up our first live feed in almost 2 years! (legal battles in two countries have now been settled) We will hopefully start our next broadcast from the Phillipines, where we have secured the rights to our very own burial ground. [undisclosed to protect gravesite]Our original cam site will be one of three that will be live over the course of the coming months, we will stream 1 site at a time at first and then hopefully by the end of 2006 have all three running simultaneously on three pages of this site .

From our base in Seattle we should have been able to control the lighting and 'refresh rate' of the camera equipment, unfortunately that was not the case. Thankfully all the problems we had from the start, (lighting and mounting issues meant that the cam was not only almost impossible to see but also the zoom mal-functioned) have now been addressed. We trust that the new burial site will be more suitable. We hope you find SeeMeRot.com a fascinating place to visit over the coming years.

We will be able to view the new cams for many years and several modifications have been made to the latest cams and the caskets themselves - Whilst it is still buried 'six feet under', the staging area of this unit suits our technical requirements far better. Thanks for stopping by.Should you wish to discuss plans for your own 'Coffin Cam' for family and friends, please contact us for pricing details."

Very interesting concept ...... but for me, not sure I want to see my loved one underground.... comments please......

DEAD? or ALIVE? Your guess is as good as mine!

This site tracks whether famous people are still alive or whether they have passed away. This site is quite interesting. You can track:

• Who you have outlived?
• Who Died in the last 6 months?
• By name
• By Date
• There are quizzes, and so much more

Who'd have thunk it? That death could be so entertaining! : )

Give them a "look" and "See." Visit the site here: Dead or Alive