The iconic American actress Judy Garland is best known for playing Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. The talented actress, singer and dancer had a career that spanned over 45 years.
She was married five times and had three children who are present in the show business scene today.
We take a look at how they felt about their mother and what they're all up to now.
Liza Minelli
Age: 76 (born March 12 1946)
Occupation: Actress and singer
You may have heard of Judy’s eldest daughter Liza Minelli. She has received awards from the Emmys, Grammys, an Oscar and a Tony award. She is most famous for her role in Cabaret however, she has recently been on the screens in TV shows such as Arrested Development.
She speaks very fondly of her mother and told The New York Times in 1984 that as a child, she “was always treated like a grown-up.” She said that ''There were no middles, no times when I was just tranquil. I was used only to screaming attacks or excessive love bouts, rivers of money or no money at all, seeing my mother constantly or not seeing her for weeks at a time.”
Liza was 22 when her mother passed away from a Barbiturate overdose.
Lorna Luft
Age: 69 (born 21 November 1952)
Occupation: Actress and singer
Much like the other singers and actresses in the family, Lorna followed their footsteps and is best known for her role as Paulette Rebchuck in Grease 2. Lorna also wrote a novel about her mother titled, Me and My Shadows: A Family Memoir, which was published in 1988. In this, she opened up about her childhood and what it was like growing up alongside her mother's drug addiction. It was even adapted into a TV miniseries titled Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows, which won an Emmy.
In 1999, Lorna told The Guardian that, "she had great highs and great moments in her career. She also had great moments in her personal life. Yes, we lost her at 47 years old. That was tragic. But she was not a tragic figure.”
Joey Luft
Age: 67 (born 29 March 1955)
Occupation: Actor, known for Great Performances, The Judy Garland Show and 60 Minutes
The youngest of Judy’s children, Joey is generally more out of the limelight than his sisters. He has done some acting work though, and also gained popularity telling stories about his mother in 'Judy Garland Concert with Joey Luft', in Pasadena, Los Angeles.
Only fourteen when she passed away, Joey told Closer in 2017 that “it was exceptionally hard to deal with as a kid. I was powerless. She was a great person, but she had that addiction.”
In 2015, Luft told the Los Angeles Times that, “She was a performer. She was a mother. She loved people. She was the most caring person. She had the greatest sense of humour.”
Despite Judy Garland’s turbulent personal life, her children fortify that their mother was a wonderful parent, performer and a person to be remembered.
If you can’t get enough of Judy Garland, be sure to check out the 2019 biographical drama film, Judy which is directed by Rupert Goold and stars Renee Zellweger as Judy.
Watch the trailer here:
