Random Celebrities Who Were Orphaned As Children (19 items)

(#13) Barbara Stanwyck
- Dec. at 82 (1907-1990)
Barbara Stanwyck's mother, Catherine Stevens, died in 1911, when Stanwyck was just four years old. After that, her father Byron quickly abandoned the family. For a short time, Stanwyck was raised by her older sister, but she later stayed at a series of foster homes.
(#1) Marilyn Monroe
- Dec. at 36 (1926-1962)
There is some discrepancies about the identity of Marilyn Monroe's father, but by all accounts, he was not present during her childhood. Her mother was mentally unstable and placed Monroe, then known by the name Norma Jean Baker, with a foster family. When Monroe was seven, she was declared a ward of the state. She was raised by her mother's friend for a few years, but she later spent time in an orphanage, more foster homes, and with other family members.
(#12) Johann Sebastian Bach
- Dec. at 65 (1685-1750)
Johann Sebastian Bach's parents, Johann Ambrosius Bach and Maria Lammerhirt, both died within eight months of one another when Bach was only nine years old at the time. He was raised by his oldest brother, Johann Christoph Bach.
(#15) George Lopez
- 62
George Lopez was deserted by his father when he was an infant and by his mother when he was only 10 years old. He was raised by his maternal grandparents, Benita and Refugio Gutierrez.
(#6) Ice-T
- 65
Ice-T's mother, Alice Marrow, died when he was in the third grade. His father Solomon raised him until he died of a heart attack when Ice-T was 12. He was then raised by his aunt and uncle.
(#10) J. R. R. Tolkien
- Dec. at 81 (1892-1973)
When he was three years old, J.R.R. Tolkien's father, Arthur, died from a rheumatic fever. His mother Mabel died when he was 12 from diabetes mellitus type 1. Tolkien and his siblings were then raised by a friend of the family.