The rising star had barely left the stage following a broadcast when tragedy struck — her father died of spinal meningitis. Heartbroken, she kept going.
Film followed film. She rehearsed for Thoroughbreds Don’t Cry even before her previous project wrapped, then moved straight into Everybody Sing. Tours, radio spots, promotions — 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.
With the exhausting schedule came something darker: the pills she relied on to stay awake, to sleep, to keep her weight down — a cycle that slowly became an addiction.
Then came 1939: the role that changed everything.
Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince later noted:
“‘The Wizard of Oz’ 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.”
Only after that unforgettable performance did the world finally know her name.
Judy Garland.
“I’m the queen of the comeback”
The Wizard of Oz” was hailed by critics, yet its enormous production and marketing expenses — roughly $4 million at the time, equal to about $71 million today — made it a risky venture for the studio. The film helped make Garland one of the most bankable actresses in the United States.
She continued with work in films such as Meet Me in St Louis in 1944 and Easter Parade in 1946.
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’s 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 — a pattern that would tragically continue until her passing 15 years later.
“I’m the queen of the comeback,” she said in a 1968 interview. “I’m getting tired of coming back. I really am. I can’t even go to… the powder room without making a comeback.”
On June 22, 1969, Garland’s 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.
Coroner Gavin Thurston told the press after the autopsy,
“This 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.”
Though heartbreaking, her death was not entirely unexpected. Those close to her — and even the public — were well aware of her long-standing struggles with addiction.
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.
