gladys bentley cause of death gladys bentley cause of death
[22] Gibson denied ever marrying her.[23]. ). The eldest of four children, Bentley was born on August 12, 1907 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to George L. Bentley from the U.S. and Mary (Mote) Bentley from Trinidad. "Gladys Bentley should be remembered for being a gender outlaw," says Wilson. Failed to delete flower. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Date of Birth. Sean Harris. Gladys Bentley's speakeasy from the Harlem Renaissance, "Clam Jam," was a gay nightlife scene 100 years ahead of its time. Her mother had desperately wanted a boy, and when the nurses told her she had a little girl instead, the matriarch refused to even touch her baby. The creativity that came out of that period shaped music, theater, dance, literature, intellectual thought and scholarship in a way that has shaped who we are today.. In an effort to describe her supposed "cure" for homosexuality she wrote an essay, "I Am a Woman Again", for Ebony magazine in which she stated she had undergone an operation, which "helped change her life again".[17][18][19]. Within weeks of starting her gig at the Clam House, Bentley transformed the whole jointliterally. Get it, Gladys. No doubt, Gladys Bentley won a fair few beautiful conquests in her day by picking them out of the crowd and mixing business with pleasure. Then again, there were rumors that would have made her mother straight-up faint. 03.12.2019. The database also contains older death records for some parishes, such as deaths that occurred in Jefferson parish before 1911, and deaths that occurred in Orleans parish as early as . Although Bentley used feminine pronouns in her public life, some experts believe she would have been a transgender man today, while others insist she only played with gender expectations and never tried to pass as a man. She moved to speakeasies and night clubs in Jungle Alley, the center of Harlems sporting life. Copyright 2023 by Factinate.com. She died at 97, also becoming. She'd been lying about her age to conceal the fact that she was four years older than Vernon Presley. I like to believe that Gladys Bentley had her thumb on the pulse of the time. She recorded in 1945 for the Excelsior label. Gladys Bentley (1907-1960) was a blues pianist, singer, performer, and drag king pioneer. Yep, Bentley did that, and in the middle of segregated America to boot. One of Bentleys signature performance moves was to flirt shamelessly with women in the audience. The details of this courtship, however, areshady. Gladys Bentley - Wikidata She was just defiant in who she was, and for gender and sexuality studies today, she shows the performance of gender.. Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter. Gladys Bentley came into this world on August 12, 1907 as the eldest child of George Bentley and his wife Mary Mote. 100 Women: Gladys West - the 'hidden figure' of GPS - BBC News Born in working-class Philadelphia, Bentley moved to New York City at the age of 18 at a time when gay and lesbian nightclubs began to emerge and the . Her songs revealed all her dirty little secrets. Gladys died of a heart attack and liver failure caused by excessive alcohol consumption. Although she was a talented singer and pianist, her lyricism and queer presentation truly made her stand out. No clan is left untouched, and even families that seem happy and normal on. Hansberry and Palein sued Bentley to prohibit her from taking her musical to the Broadway division. Photograph of Gladys Bentley by an unidentified photographer, 1927-45. 3 references. Were always looking for your input! "She was always my best girl." At her funeral, Elvis was inconsolable. . She wouldn't even nurse me and my grandmother had to raise me for 6 months on a bottle before they could persuade my mother to take care of her own baby. GladysCrawford1909IndianaGladys Crawfordin 1940 United States Federal Census Gladys Crawfordwas born circa 1909, at birth place, Indiana, to Lon H Crawfordand Pearl Crawford. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. We want our readers to trust us. Privacy Statement Failed to report flower. In Bentleys account of her life, her audience was as fascinated by her style as it was by her music. 0 references. The duo insisted that Bentley left them high and dry at the rise of the club and wanted to pursue other interests that she could financially benefit from. She started to perform at prohibition-era rent parties, soirees that charged guests a fee to come enjoy a house party with booze and entertainment. Then, she made a jaw-dropping decision. The world's biggest star was found in his bathroom at Graceland on August 16, 1977, and pronounced dead at Memphis Baptist Memorial Hospital. Gladys George was one of the movies' greatest hard-luck dames, both on- and off-screen. Gladys Alberta Bentley (August 12, 1907 January 18, 1960)[1] was an American blues singer, pianist, and entertainer during the Harlem Renaissance. GLADYS BENTLEY Gladys D. Fleming Bentley, 77, of 1020 Virginia Avenue, Anderson County, died Friday, August 2, 2002 at Heritage Hall Care Center in Lawrenceburg. The 1950s were even more conservative than the early part of the 20th century. Learn more about this trailblazer on the Smithsonian Sidedoorpodcast episode"Singing the Gender-Bending Blues. At the time of her death she survived by her large extended friends and family. There's something about the family structure that encourages secrets. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. Who was Elvis Presley's mother Gladys? The heartbreaking story - Smooth Some have argued that her shocking tell-all was, at least partly, Bentleys way of staying relevant. Thanks for your help! Gladys Bentleywas born circa 1909. Gladys Bentley - Worried Blues (1928) Gladys Bentley and "Worried Blues," from 1928. Celebrity OTE - Spring Arts Guide Daniel Kaluuya Digital. Gladys Alberta Bentley (12 Aug 1907 - certain 18 Jun 1960) 0 references . We are sad to announce that on July 1, 2021, at the age of 87, Gladys Bentley of New York Mills, Minnesota passed away. In 1934, a midtown Manhattan nightclub called Kings Terrace was padlocked by the police after an observer complained of the dirty songs performed there. People, many of whom were white, seeking entertainment and covert access to alcohol crowded into Harlem nightclubs, speakeasies and parties. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. Gladys Knight and the Pips Singer Dies at Age 74 | Essence Shed made a scandalous name for herself singing her dirty songs, and audiences came out in droves. Michael Bekoev. We see a real change so that somebody who is identified as lesbian or gay is considered a national menace. They cried, laughing so hard; they were doubled over from the ache of it, they blushed, and they fed on the anomalous beauty of Bentley. The singer was infamous for making up juicy stories about herself, and this Don remains a vague figure in Bentleys life. singer. From petty paybacks to insane acts of karma, these bitter people somehow found the most ingenious ways. Heck no. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. So Gladys Bentley abandoned that and seems to want to restart her career as a more traditional black woman performer., In 1952, Bentley wrote her life story in an article for Ebony magazine, entitled I Am A Woman Again. In the article, she described the life of a glamorous performer who silently struggled with herself. Gladys Bentley should be remembered for being a gender outlaw, says Wilson. Bentley's performances appealed to black, white, gay, and straight audiences alike, and many celebrities attended her shows. Bentley was so desperate to change, she submitted to the expensive injections three times a week for an entire half a year. Haleema Shah Oops, we were unable to send the email. When Bentley came up to a hot young thing, she had one go-to move. Gladys Bentley Society on Instagram: "This incredible human is a living As Bentley became more popular, she started performing at Harry Hansberrys Clam Houseone of New York Citys most well-known gay speakeasiesin the 1920s. Year should not be greater than current year. Though Gladys Bentley notes that her marriage to Don didnt work out, it still seems like something out of a fairy taleand perhaps its just as untrue as a fairy tale, too. Significant Dates. Gladys Bentley (1907-1960) was a blues pianist, singer, performer, and drag king pioneer. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. That year, she claimed that she married an unknown woman in a civil ceremony in Atlantic City, a practically unheard-of move. . We have set your language to There was just one huge problem. Please accept Echovita's sincere condolences. Add to your scrapbook. The family struggled financially. Floyd school mourns teacher - Mountain Top Media Before her death from pneumonia at the age of 52, Bentley appeared by most accounts to be very bold and confident. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. To use this feature, use a newer browser. There may be one final bizarre touch to the already strange life of Gladys Bentley. The cause of death was a heart attack, and it was later discovered that one of the contributing factors was liver failure due to alcohol poisoning. But once the lights went down, no one knew the tragedy going on behind the scenes. She moved to speakeasies and night clubs in Jungle Alley, the center of Harlem's sporting life. She headlined in the early 1930s at Harlem's Ubangi Club, where she was backed up by a chorus line . Fed up and at the brink of her sanity, Bentley resorted to drastic measures. Bentley also studied to be a minister, claiming to have been "cured" by taking female hormones. . Lea Bentley, a primary teacher at Betsy Layne Elementary, died on Thursday. She was the oldest of four children and, in her own words, neither wanted nor loved, because her mother had wanted a boy and was bitterly disappointed. imported from Wikimedia project. 11 Black LGBTQ+ Icons Who Paved The Way For The World We Live In Now This is when she began performing in men's attire ("white full dress shirts, stiff collars, small bow ties, oxfords, short Eton jackets, and hair cut straight back"),[3] and here she perfected her act and became popular and successful. Date of death: August 5, 2017. . Events Surrounding the Death of Elvis Presley's Mother in 1958 While performing at the Manhattan nightclub Kings Terrace, the masculine garbed smut-singing entertainer, as one audience member put it, quickly got the authorities to shut the whole place down with her performance. Bentley was openly lesbian early in her career,[16] but during the McCarthy Era, she started wearing dresses and married (within five months of meeting) Charles Roberts, age 28, a cook, in a civil ceremony in Santa Barbara, California, in 1952. Gladys Presley - IMDb Vernon told him Gladys had died at 3.15am. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. When she got up on stage every night in her top hat and tails, she sang loud and proud about sissies and bulldaggers, and her lyrics often illustrated her lesbian affairs in very explicit terms. Factinate is a fact website that is dedicated to finding and sharing fun facts about science, history, animals, films, people, and much more. The best revenge might be living well, but that doesn't mean we can always turn the other cheek. Gladys Bentley (1907-1960) - BlackPast.org In Bentleys heyday of the 1930s, she owned a Park Avenue apartment with servants and other accoutrements of wealth. Louisiana Death Records. Bentley died of pneumonia unexpectedly at her home in Los Angeles on January 18, 1960, aged 52. Bentley recalled dreaming and being infatuated with her primary school female teachers but did not understand those feelings until later on in her life. With the repeal of Prohibition, her popularity and public tolerance of openly gay persons waned. Bentley was the most popular and infamous speakeasy performer in Prohibition-era New York. Bentley always had expensive tastes; she just never had the bank account to match. Names. She took the songs Sweet Alice Blue Gown and Georgia Brown, and combined them and it became a song about anal sex., Bentley was not the first to sing raunchy music, but Reece said that she was still breaking barriers by pushing the boundaries of public taste in a way that would have been much more suitable for a man to do.. So when it came to her unnamed paramour, it wasnt just that she took a woman as her wife that raised peoples eyebrows. He was 77. Thing is, Bentley didnt keep her private life private, not by a long shot. Gladys Bentley Was a Gender Outlaw - harpersbazaar.com Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine Though the cause was a heart attack, it was later found that one of the contributing factors was liver failure due to alcohol poisoning. Her career skyrocketed when she appeared at Harry Hansberry's Clam House in New York in the 1920s, as a black, lesbian, crossdressing performer. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. She tried to continue her musical career by playing in a number of gay nightspots but did not achieve as much success as she had had in the past. When she brought little Gladys home, she refused to nurse the girl, leaving Bentleys grandmother to raise the infant on a bottle for six months. Advertising Notice Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Her salary started at $35 per week plus tips and went to $125 per week, and the club was soon renamed Barbara's Exclusive Club, after her stage name at the time, Barbara "Bobbie" Minton. Elvis' family didn't come from riches or anything of the sort. [2] In Bentley's Ebony article,[3] she wrote about trouble in the home as she was growing up and the relationship between her and her mother. The headline sent shockwaves through America. Gladys Bentley loved women, wore men's clothing, and sang bawdy songs that would make sailors blush.and did it openly in the 1920s and 1930s. Drag performers often backed her up at the . For the Smithsonians Sidedoor podcast, host Haleema Shah tells the story of an unapologetically gay African-American performer in 1920s and 30s. Heck no. She had a recording contract for her raunchy songs, put out a series of records with her broad, booming voice, and was just positioning herself to take over the bright lights of Broadway.
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