Jeanne Carmen (picture left), a 1950s pinup girl, B-movie actress and trick-shot golfer has passed away, at 77 years old. .
Brandon James, Carmen's son said her mother died of lymphoma on Thursday at her home in Orange County, California.
Jeanne 'Laverne' Carmen [wiki] was born in Paragould, Arkansas on August 4, 1930.
As a child she picked cotton with her family before running away from home at age 13. The small-town girl with measurements of 36-26-36 was still a teenager when she arrived in New York. Soon, she landed a job as a dancer in Burlesque, with Burt Lahr. Later she became a model, appearing in several men's magazines. She also became a trick golfer, appearing with Jack Redmond.
While in her 20s, she came to Hollywood and appeared in B movies such as Guns Don't Argue and The Monster of Piedras Blancas. She also appeared in Three Stooges shorts such as Happy, Wealthy, and Dumb.
A friend of Marilyn Monroe, Carmen had alleged affairs with Frank Sinatra, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Errol Flynn, and many others. The following two videos show Jeanne Carmen was interviewed on History Channel on Monroe's death.
In 1978, Carmen moved to Orange Country until her death. In addition to her son, Carmen is survived by daughters Melinda Belli and Kellee Jade Campo, and three grandchildren. Source: OCRegister #Tags: jeanne carmen, death, lymphoma, orange county, california, Marilynn Monroe