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Jane Russell, the busty brunette who shot to fame as the sexy star of Howard Hughes’ 1941 Western ‘The Outlaw,’ died Monday of respiratory failure, her family said. She was 89.
Although Missis Russell made only a handful of films after the 1960′s, she had remained active in her church, with charitable organizations and with a local singing group until her health began to decline just a couple of weeks ago, said her daughter-in-law Etta Waterfield. She died at her home in Santa Maria.
“She always said I’m going to die in the saddle, I’m not going to sit at home and become an old woman” – Waterfield said. “And that’s exactly what she did, she died in the saddle.”
Hughes, the eccentric billionaire, put her onto the path to stardom when he cast her in ‘The Outlaw,’ a film he fought with censors for nearly a decade to get into wide release.

Jane Russell.

Jane Russell, the star of 1940′s and 1950′s films, has died at age 89.
Russell’s daughter-in-law Etta Waterfield says the actress died on Monday at her home in California of a respiratory-related illness.
Russell was discovered by eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes who cast her in his sexy, and controversial, 1941 western ‘The Outlaw’, turning her into a star.
She went on to appear opposite such leading men as Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope, but perhaps her most famous role was opposite Marilyn Monroe in 1953′s ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’.
Russell was also the number one pin-up girl of US troops stationed overseas during World War II, and her curvy figure earned her the role of an early spokesmodel for Playtex bras.
A vocal advocate of adoption, she also founded the Women’s Adoption International Fund.
Until her health began to decline a few weeks ago, Waterfield said Russell remained active singing and working for various causes.
A service will be held to honour Russell at Pacific Christian Church in Santa Maria on March 23.

Actress, singer. Born on June 21, 1921, in Bemidji, Minnesota. A popular star of the 1940′s and 1950′s, Jane Russell appeared in a range of films, from westerns to musicals. She moved to California with her family as a child.
In high school, Russell appeared in a number of school productions. She also met her future first husband (Bob Waterfield) at Van Nuys High School. She pursued acting after graduation, taking classes with Maria Ouspenskaya and at Max Reinhardt’s theater workshop. To make ends meet, Russell worked a variety of jobs and did some modeling. She was discovered by millionaire producer Howard Hughes at the age of 19.
Hughes cast Russell in her first film ‘The Outlaw’, which caused quite a stir. Many objected to the movie poster that featured Russell in a sultry pose showing off her shapely figure and holding a gun. And film censors wanted to stop the movie’s release because they thought it was too risque for the times. All the publicity around the production helped make Russell a star.
Some of Russell’s most notable films include 1948′s ‘The Paleface’ and 1953′s ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’. In ‘The Paleface’, she played western legend Calamity Jane opposite comedian Bob Hope. Russell demonstrated her singing talents in the musical comedy ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ with Marilyn Monroe. Despite her image as a sex symbol, Russell was deeply religious and even ran a Bible study group in Hollywood.
As her acting career faded in the 1960′s, Russell spent more of her time singing and performing on stage. She later became a spokesperson for Playtex’s line of bras for full-figured women in the 1970′s and 1980′s. In 1971, Russell appeared on Broadway in Stephen Sondheim’s musical Company.