June 22, 1969: Judy Garland dies in London, in a house she was renting for a nightclub run in the city. She was 47 years old. The cause was an overdose of barbiturates, and she had battled drug problems for years.
Born Frances Ethel Gumm in Grand Rapids, Minnesota (not the one in Michigan) on June 10, 1922, she was a teenage star in Hollywood, starring in The Wizard of Oz in 1939 and 3 Andy Hardy movies with Mickey Rooney from 1938 to 1941. (As with Charo's 10 appearances on The Love Boat, it only seems like she was in more Andy Hardy movies.) But she was treated horribly by her studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, including being told to take diet pills to lose weight, starting a cycle of dependency that would eventually kill her.
She starred in Meet Me In St. Louis in 1944. It was directed by Vincente Minnelli, who soon became the 2nd of her 5 husbands. In 1948, she starred with Fred Astaire in Easter Parade. In 1954, she starred in the 2nd (or, depending on whose definition you follow, the 3rd) version of A Star Is Born. Her concerts at New York's Palace Theatre in 1951 and Carnegie Hall in 1961 are considered legendary. But she could never stay on top for long.
Due to Judy's status as a gay icon -- she wasn't gay, but gay people have often seen something of their own struggles in hers, and her song "Over the Rainbow" is one of the reasons the Gay Pride flag is a rainbow -- it has frequently been remarked that her death was one of the sparks of the Stonewall Uprising, 6 days afterward. This is a myth: The Uprising had nothing to do with it.
Judy had 3 children. By the time she died, her daughter Liza Minnelli, then 23, had already become a singing and acting star in her own right. She, too, developed issues with weight and substance abuse, but has overcome them, and reached the age of 75.
Lorna Luft also became a singer and an actress, and has also become an author. She is 68, and has survived cancer. And Joey Luft, 66, tried acting, but turned to directing.
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June 22, 1969 was a Sunday. This was the off-season for the NFL, the NBA, the ABA and the NHL. But a full slate of Major League Baseball games was played. More than that, as this was still the era of Sunday doubleheaders:
* The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox, 5-3 at Fenway Park in Boston. No home runs, but Roy White had 3 hits and 2 RBIs, including an RBI single in the top of the 10th inning, making Jack Aker the winning pitcher in relief of Bill Burbach.
* The New York Mets swept a doubleheader from the St. Louis Cardinals at Shea Stadium. The Metropolitans won the 1st game 5-1, getting 3 hits each from Bud Harrelson, Cleon Jones and Jerry Grote, allowing Gary Gentry to get the win over Steve Carlton. They won the 2nd game 1-0, as Jerry Koosman pitched a 7-hit shutout.
* A doubleheader was split at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. The Pittsburgh Pirates won the 1st game 6-0, as Dock Ellis pitched a 6-hit shutout, with 10 strikeouts and only 1 walk. The Philadelphia Phillies won the 2nd game 3-2.
* A doubleheader was split at Atlanta (later Atlanta-Fulton County) Stadium. The San Francisco Giants won the 1st game 5-1, and the Atlanta Braves won the 2nd game 7-5.
* A doubleheader was split at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The Cleveland Indians won the 1st game 3-2, and the Baltimore Orioles won the 2nd game 6-0. Dave Leonard pitched a 3-hit shutout.
* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Cincinnati Reds, 5-0 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Bill Singer pitched a 5-hit shutout.
* The Washington Senators swept a doubleheader from the Detroit Tigers at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. The Senators won the 1st game 9-4, and the 2nd game 9-5.
* A doubleheader was split at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Chicago Cubs won the 1st game 7-6, and the Montreal Expos won the 2nd game 5-4.
* The Houston Astros beat the San Diego Padres, 2-0 at the Astrodome in Houston. Denny Lemaster pitched a 5-hit shutout.
* The Chicago White Sox beat the California Angels, 1-0 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Billy Wynne pitched a 7-hit shutout.
* A doubleheader was split at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The Oakland Athletics won the 1st game 7-3. The Minnesota Twins won the 2nd game 4-3, with Jim Perry pitching 12 innings, then helping his own cause by bunting Tony Oliva home in the top of the 13th.
* And the Seattle Pilots beat their American League expansion brethren, the Kansas City Royals, 5-1 at Sick's Stadium in Seattle. Tommy Davis hit a home run, and Marty Pattin was loose, quack, smoking them inside. Pattin was relieved in the 7th. Who was brought in to replace him? Jim "Super Knuck" Bouton? Nah: Bob "Snot" Locker. The Pilots zitzed 'em, and then went to pound some Budweiser.