FAMOUS BEAUTY DEAD.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 37, 13 February 1929, Page 7

FAMOUS BEAUTY DEAD.

LILLIE LANGTRY PASSES. (Australian Tress Assn. — United Service.) (Received 11 a.m.) LONDON, February 12. ' The death is announced of LiliL' Lanjitrv, the famous beauty actress and horse-owner, wife of Sir Hugo de Batho.

Mrs. Lillie Lanjstry. Lady rle Bathe, the society beauty who became an actress, was born in Jersey in October, 1852. the daughter of the Very Kev. W. ('. Le Breton. Dean of Jersey. She was brought up with her six brothers and developed into a real tomboy, seeing nothing of the world until at an early age she married Edward Langtry, an Irish landowner. Her remarkable beauty at once secured her an entree into society, and she was overwhelmed with invitations from distinguished persons. She was literally mobbed wherever she went, and the toque which she made by twisting up a piece of black velvet and sticking a quill through it appeared in every shop window, labelled. "The Liingtiy Hat.' , This change from obscurity to notoriety came so suddenly that she was quite bewildered, and her husband not a little annoyed. Great painters and artists painted her portrait, and Queen Victoria remained long after her usual time in a drawing loom in order to •-i i . see the famous Lily Langtry. beauty, who was ~ . late. Among her most distinguished friends were Gladstone and Ruskin. So great . was her popularity overseas that a town in Texas America, was named after her. and she was invited to visit it. Naturally this mixing in high society had its drain on the Langtry resources, and the time came when the bailiff was put in, and the London house sold up. It was then that she decided to take to the stage, and she made her first appearance at Kate Hard- ?/«. "\ • " She Stoo ' 1s To Conquer " Alter making a conquest of America in the first of her tours there, she took over the Princes Theatre. London, and at various times managed other famous pleasure houses. Wealthy onee more she took up a turf career, and proved verv sueeesstul having, after a time, a big racing stable. Among her wins were the God Cup at Ascot and most of the important handicaps. On the death oi Mr 1 ,*?• , At Carlo in 1927 she was robbed oi £7000 worth of jewels. Much earlier in her career she was the victim of a daring coup by a man who collected her strong box from the bank where it was '"fi^ 1 th * result that the bank paid £ 10,000 damages.