Random True Story Behind 'Judy' And Judy Garland's Final Years (13 items)

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  (#12) Her Life Ended Due To Drug Overdose

  Garland's body was found by her husband Mickey Deans in the bathroom of their London home on the morning of June 22, 1969. An autopsy revealed that Garland overdosed on sleeping pills, which she had become addicted to early in her career. The coroner deemed Garland's passing an accident, and her body was buried in a small New York Cemetery at Deans' request. Deans, who had only been married to Garland for three months at the time of her passing, said he didn't want her buried in Hollywood because of the way the studio system had treated her. However, her body was exhumed in 2017 and moved to Hollywood at the request of her children.

  Garland passed away just 12 days after her 47th birthday.
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  (#3) She Canceled Concerts At The Last Minute

  In the final of years of her life, Garland began showing up late to concerts, canceling them at the last minute or appearing inebriated on stage. On May 25, 1968, Garland abruptly canceled the second night of her run at The Back Bay Theater in Boston, saying she was too tired from her previous performances. A few weeks later, Garland was 35 minutes late for a concert, then fell asleep on stage after performing only three songs. She was immediately hospitalized, and soon entered a drug rehab program.
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  (#7) She Was Burned By A Dishonest Production Company

  On June 8, 1967, Garland signed a contract with a production company set up by her ex-husband Sid Luft called Group Five. Garland assumed the "five" referred to Garland, Luft, their two children, and Liza Minnelli (Garland's daughter with director Vincente Minnelli), and that the company would protect these five financially. In reality, the five referred to Luft and his four questionable business associates. The contract covered all of Garland's living expenses, but eventually resulted in her wages being garnished by the IRS.

  The IRS took $300 for each $1,500 payment Garland received for concerts. Luft and one of his associates eventually sold Garland's contract without her knowledge in exchange for an $18,750 loan.
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  (#2) She Was Deeply In Debt

  Garland performed a successful run of concerts in 1967 that were tarnished by her significant financial woes. After netting $227,602 for 27 performances, the money was immediately taken by the IRS as payment for back taxes. 

  In 1967, the star would eventually have to sell her beloved Brentwood mansion to help pay off her debts. She would never own another home after that.
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  (#6) She Had A List Of People Who Controlled Her Meds

  In the final years of her life, Garland began a near-obsessive habit of making lists to keep track of her daily life. One of the more ominous lists was written at the end of 1967, after canceling her final three concerts of the year due to laryngitis. The list consisted of people she trusted to be in charge of her medication, which consisted of roughly 20 pills per day, including four Seconal tablets to help her sleep at night. The list included her daughter Lorna, ex-husband Sid Luft, and her physician. The list seems to indicate that while Garland had a dependency on pills, she wanted to make sure that she never took too many, and that people she trusted knew how many she took.
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  (#10) Two Businessmen Tried To Stop Her From Performing

  On December 28, 1968, Garland stepped off a plane at Heathrow Airport where she was served with a writ by a private investigator. Amid camera flashes and questions from reporters, Garland learned two American businessmen who had bought her Group Five contract were barring her from performing at London's Talk of the Town nightclub. They claimed the performance broke her contract with them, but Garland said she knew nothing about the contract.

  The case was eventually dismissed, and the businessmen were forced to pay the court costs.

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