William Holden's death

What do these two have in common?

Sad, Republican, alcoholic closet case. Close friend of Ronald Reagan.

that broad from hart 2 hart got I think his inheritance, she was his 'girlfriend' at the time they say.....

I always admired Stephanie Powers' glorious head of 70s curls when I was a kid. Now I realize it was probably a wig!

Are you guys trying to say that Jill St. John killed William Holden for all the money she knew she would inherit?

Was he dating Jill St. John at the time of his death?!! I don't know this. I thought Stefanie Powers had just broken up with him at that time, probably trying some tough love.

Oops!! I meant Stefanie Powers, not Jill St. John (though I mix them up!)

Did *Stefanie Powers* kill William Holden for the money she knew she would inherit?

(Or let him die?)

Where were his kids?

I'd have killed... for Stephanie Powers' career!

And then, the checks stopped.

I'm pretty sure I've read that all his money was left to some animal (lion?) sanctuary in Africa.

[quote]Oops!! I meant Stefanie Powers, not Jill St. John (though I mix them up!)

Don't worry, r7. I always mix those two up with Jill Ireland.

All basically interchangeable.

DEC. 2, 1981

LOS ANGELES -- The late actor William Holden left $250,000 to his actress-girlfriend Stephanie Powers and the bulk of his multimillion dollar estate to his family.

Holden's will, dated April 6, 1979, was filed for probate Wednesday in Superior Court.

The 63-year-old actor bled to death Nov. 16 after slipping on a throw rug in his beachfront apartment and striking his head on a table.

The will ordered that most of his estate be shared among his family. The actor is survived by his mother, Mary Beedle; sister Audria; two sons, Scott Porter and Peter Westfield; and his former wife, Ardis Holden.

Also named in the will were Virginia Baylor, Ardis Holden's daughter by a previous marriage, and his niece, Leslie Kim Hennessy.

Holden left his gun collection to his two sons and all other art and collections to the Desert Museum of Palm Springs. All proceeds from his movie 'Bridge on the River Kwai' go to the Motion Picture and Television Relief Fund.

The will also bequeathed $50,000 to ex-girlfriend Capucine Lefebre, the Swiss-born actress, and the same amount to another friend, Patricia Stauffer.

Holden, who frequently traveled to Africa where he was active in conservation efforts, willed property in Africa to a wildlife preservation charity.

OP, this is what happens to old alcoholics who cannot control their drinking. No one wants to be around them while they are in an alcohol-induced stupor.

Why would anyone be there to watch his demise?

Oh, my. A closeted pro-war, pro-gun Reagan Republican who liked big-game hunting in Africa with his collection of guns but who willed his money to conservation efforts.

No wonder this sad bitch drank himself to death.

[quote]LOS ANGELES -- The late actor William Holden left $250,000 to his actress-girlfriend Stephanie Powers ... The will also bequeathed $50,000 to ex-girlfriend Capucine Lefebre

That bitch had a hit TV show, while I was turning into a cat lady.

Thanks, Bill.

R13 Where were the housekeeper or the maids?!!

Poor Capucine did not age well. All that smoking and dieting, perhaps?

She was a looker in her youth.

Barbara Stanwyck tells Capucine William Holden will never marry her:

No closet case. One of three exclusively straight A list actors in early 50's Hollywood. And the affair with the first lady.

To answer r1 MURDER

William was SO gorgeous!

Uncut sizemeat?

Nude photos?

R19 who were the other two?

I will never be able to tell Jill st John and Stefanie Powers apart. And I always got confused with William Holden, Robert Wagner and who was married to whom. That whole group of late 70s/early 80s ex-stars all got mixed up in my 10 year old head.

Clues, r19. One was a singer and should be obvious. The other started off in dramatic roles and wound up a cowboy. He sat in the center on Hollywood Squares for a while and Kaye Ballard jumped in his lap. Probably the most tragic downfall of anybody in show business.

Alcoholism OP- his end is not an uncommon incident. I have lost 1 cousin and at least one friend in the same way. One fell in the bathroom and one feel on a glass, passed out and bled to death. Both active alcoholics. By cousin's father (my uncle) died the same way.

Paul Lynde was a center square, R24. Can you give better or more accurate clues?

[quote] Where were the housekeeper or the maids?!!

He lived in an apartment and it's unlikely he had live-in help or even a housekeeper who came in during the day. A once a week cleaner is probably all he employed.

[quote] Uncut sizemeat?

Uncut, yes.

He was a part owner of the building, which is in one of the most desirable parts of the USA, if not the world.....Ocean Ave in Santa Monica

My aunt knew William Holden in the 1960s. That's why I have been curious about him and the sad way he died.

How is it possible to bleed to death from a forehead cut? Was he hemophilic? Is there a doctor in the house?

I have an alcoholic relative who died the same way. The gas meter man spotted him through the window, laying on the floor. He'd been dead for days.

OP clearly doesn't have any disagreeable alcoholics in his life, nor can he fathom anyone being alone for any length of time.

[quote]How is it possible to bleed to death from a forehead cut?

A CPA here in. my. town died like that last month. He was a complete alcoholic who lad lost his driver's license, so he was walking from his early evening bar to his late evening bar. He cut across a construction site, tripped on a piece of concrete, felt the cut on his head, sat down on the concrete to deal with it, and at some point passed out and bled to death. They didn't find him until the next morning even though he was maybe 20 feet from a busy road and in plain sight.

My aunt said that William used to have a loyal protective housekeeper, and he had a good social network around him (but that was in the 1960s). That's why I'm surprised that he would be so alone that no one would find out about his death until 4 days later?!

One of the handsomest men in Hollywood .

Powers said she left him out of tough love.

She said she regretted it. But really how do you live with or have a relationship with someone like that? Don't they really on some level want to die?

I worked with a straight guy years ago who when we were talking about Kwai claimed his uncle knew Holden. This uncle had a certain amount of fame in the NY police department as a narcotics officer and was mentioned but not by name in the book Prince of the City. This guy showed me the passage.(I found this uncle's obituary on line years later and they were indeed related.) This uncle said Holden was gay. I was totally WTF! as I had never heard anything like that. It was very strange to me because we talked a lot as we were doing tedious stockroom work and it was very unlike him to say something about someone's sexuality. So it made me wonder if it was really true because I would have never thought it in a million years nor did I ever hear any kind of gossip or speculation.

R19 ,if they're straight why the fuck don't you name them? I never knew there was a stigma attached to being heterosexual.

Sinatra is one as the 'singer.' But who's the cowboy who had the horrible end and ended up the center square on Hollywood Squares? But as said above Paul Lynde never did westerns.

OP, I'm embarrassed to tell you this. But I had a fall in my home, and was stuck on the floor for 4 days. My boss called my sister, who called my brother, who eventually saved my life. But my arm was broken, and I couldn't get up. And, of course, I shit and pissed myself. Older people like me fall down, and hurt themselves. And most of us don't have people checking on us every day. It really isn't rare. I was just surprised that a little circle of people were able to save my life. I've taken a lot of extra precautions, since then, to try to protect my safety. But I didn't know I was a feeble old man until.......I was!

I think because Holden was so famous and so involved with many people not only his lovers, family, people in show business and the wildlife conservation movement that it seems odd that a person would be missing for 4 days and nobody noticing. But then maybe everyone felt he was off with somebody else and not being able to contact him was not unusual.

His house is right down the street from me in Palm Springs. It is one of the best mid-century homes in PS.

Yes, Sinatra was the singer. The Hollywood Squarie whose lap held Kaye Ballard was Glenn Ford. I don't think I've ever been more embarrassed for a performer in my life. Obviously I like to ask trivia questions.

I had no idea Glenn Ford was on Hollywood Squares! That would be like Henry Fonda or Burt Lancaster on it. I thought through starring roles and investments he had become very wealthy. His son's book was not very flattering and pretty much said he was a self absorbed actor and womanizer who had little contact with him and he was raised solely by his mother Eleanor Powell. In Alex Guiness's biography it said Sir Alec had become obsessed with Glenn and Ford had to stay clear.

The son only reconciled with his father at the end because he was an old man who had no one else to take care of him and the young fillies he was chasing had taking advantage of him. Well he was very cute when he was young and not a bad actor.

[quote]Paul Lynde was a center square, [R24]. Can you give better or more accurate clues?

My grandfather was also the center square. Him?

I tripped and hit my head on the bathroom wall and cut my forehead. I tripped because I was dizzy with the flu and not an alcoholic. I didn't pass out but did lie on the floor for a while to recover. I imagine if I had passed out no one would have been looking for me as I lived alone. My eyesight has never been as good since the head collision so I think there was some permanent damage.

My mother fell and died (it was a heart attack) outside her home. She was extremely social, but everyone assumed she was busy with someone else when they didn’t see her. One of her church friends sent a guy to plow her driveway and he was the one who found her (at least it was winter). It was painful to listen to her answering machine (she didn’t have a cellphone or voicemail) and all the people calling to say hi and invite her to social events. Only one person sounded worried about not being able to reach her.

Glenn Ford is barely remembered today, so I would not label his so-called downfall as Hollywood's saddest story.

steph seemed like the kind of dyke who would do anything to get $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

R48=Jill St. John

Suzanne Vega mentioned his death (obliquely) in 'Tom's Diner'. It's very sad to be remembered in that way.

He had a long career, considering he was only 63 when he died. He must have been 18 when he made "Golden Boy". He looks at least 75 in his last movie, "S.O.B."--all that booze.

And it's pretty well documented that he had an affair with Jackie Kennedy.

"Suzanne Vega mentioned his death (obliquely) in 'Tom's Diner'. It's very sad to be remembered in that way."

If William Holden was "no one I had heard of" then Suzanne Vega must be culturally illiterate (she's also a pretentious cunt, but that's another story). His career lasted decades and he was in some of the most iconic, classic movies of all time: "Sunset Boulevard", "Stalag 17", "Sabrina", "The Bridge on the River Kwai", "Sabrina", "Picnic", "The Wild Bunch", "Network." Not to mention he was the guest star in one of the most memorable episodes of "I Love Lucy." He also provided one of the best moments in the history of the Academy Awards when he made an impromptu tribute to Barbara Stanwyck who was presenting an award with him. He was a great Hollywood star. By the way Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner" is an annoying piece of shit. But " dit dit duh duh, dit dit duh duh, dit dit duh duh dit duh duh duh" was probably her finest hour.

But she's 60. How is that even possible?

Suzanne Vega was the pre cursor to Zooey Deschanel types, who reached their peak in the late 200Os. Adult women vocalists who insist on dressing, singing and speaking like small children.

aint gold digger steph powers the one who got his $$$ ?

jill st john was robt wagners beard, powers was the one for old queen holden.

Jill St. John was Sidney Korshak's mistress - Korshak was a Hollywood fixer linked to the Chicago mob, and, FWIW, he is reputedly the person who originated the terms A-list, B-list, etc. Those had to do with party invitations to Hollywood types.

According to her autobiography, Shelley Winters and Bill Holden would hook up one night a year and this continued for many years.

Natalie Wood died 17 days after William Holden.

He left a great legacy in the William Holden Wildlife Foundation which runs a wildlife conservancy from Nanyuki, Kenya near Mt Kenya. Apparently Republicans weren't anti-environment back then.

step powers has her fingers in that fund I bet....

[quote] r46 My mother fell and died (it was a heart attack) outside her home.

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that : (

A fall can also be deadly on it's own. The person may not be found for a while, and catch pneumonia. Or they get a concussion, and/or bleed out. Or the impact creates a blot clot that travels to the brain and kills them in seconds.

My mom's started tripping but refuses to move in with others. I've been simplifying the arrangement of her furniture, eliminating throw rugs etc. These are the things I explain when she gets persnickety about it.

^^ be that as it may...there's simply nothing funnier (or more life affirming) than watching models trip and fall on runways.

Interesting obituary for one of his sons, West Holden, a stage actor before poor health forced him to retire.

I still think bi Powers and bi Wagner were fucking at one point. Jill and Srephanie have that hot Jewish girl look RJ seems to likre. After Natalie died or was let to die, he couldn't go to Powers so he chose Jill instead.