Debbie Reynolds: 10 less known facts about the 'Singin' in the Rain' actress

The actress was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital after she suffered a stroke on Wednesday afternoon

Debbie Reynolds dies at 84
Actress Debbie Reynolds is interviewed at a preview of her Hollywood costume and prop collection in Beverly Hills June 6, 2011. Reuters

Hollywood's legendary actress Debbie Reynolds passed away on 28 December, just a day after the death of her daughter Carrie Fisher (27 December). Reynolds was 84.

The "Singin' in the Rain" actress was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital after she suffered a stroke on Wednesday afternoon, said her son, Todd Fisher, according to The Associated Press. "She's now with Carrie and we're all heartbroken,'' he said.

Also read: Carrie Fisher, Princess Leia of Star Wars, no more

The actor-cum-director also said that the stress and depression after his sister's death were too much for his mother to handle.

On Tuesday, Reynolds took to Facebook to write a statement on her daughter's death. She wrote: "Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter. I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop."

Here are 10 things you may not know about the iconic actress:

  • Debbie Reynolds was born as Mary Frances Reynolds on 1 April 1932 in Texas to a couple having Scottish-Irish and English ancestry.
  • At age of sixteen, she won the Miss Burbank beauty contest and bagged a contract with Warner Bros soon after that.
  • She acquired her new first name via Jack Warner. "Debbie is a cute name for a little girl," said Jack before rechristened Mary.
  • She was nominated for Academy Award for Best Actress after she played the character of Molly Brown in The Unsinkable Molly Brown in 1964.
  • Reynolds made her Broadway debut in 1973 in a revival of Irene. The production broke records and was declared as the highest weekly gross of any musical.
  • Later in life Debbie became a successful business woman. She opened her own dance studio in North Hollywood in 1979 and released an exercise video called " Do It Debbie's Way!" in 1983.
  • She also bought the Clarion Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, in 1992 and renamed it the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel. However, it did not run well and Reynolds was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1997.
  • Reynolds was married three times. Her husbands were actor Eddie Fisher, millionaire businessman Harry Karl and real estate developer Richard Hamlett
  • With Eddie fisher, the actress had two kids: Carrie and Todd Fisher.
  • When Reynolds had a heart attack on 28 December, she was at her son's home, discussing the funeral of her daughter Carrie Fisher, who died after suffering a heart attack on a transatlantic flight from London to Los Angeles on 23 December.

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