Tragic Details About Judy Garland

This article contains triggers for risky substance use, addiction, and mental health struggles.

Judy Garland mesmerized adults and children alike when she stepped into Dorothy's ruby slippers in "The Wizard of Oz" — MGM's 1939 musical based off of the 1900 children's novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." A mere 17 years old when the blockbuster came out, Garland was suddenly shot to the top of the A-list, yet with that fame didn't come much joy. "Sometimes I feel like I'm living in a blizzard," the actor once mused (via Los Angeles Times). "An absolute blizzard."

Truth be told, that blizzard was not much unlike the traumatic and dizzying cyclone that swept Dorothy up at the start of Garland's legendary fantasy flick. Confusion, hopelessness, and a desire for stability plagued Garland throughout her life — something that sadly began at a very young age. Nevertheless, the "Meet Me in St. Louis" star always somehow bounced back; as the Los Angeles Times detailed in 1969, Garland became known as the "queen of the comebacks" in Hollywood — until she couldn't fight anymore.

Garland herself refused to accept defeat in the industry she was thrust in — a testament to her tenacity. "I'm always being painted a more tragic figure than I am," the star declared in 1962 (via Los Angeles Times) — seven years before her untimely death. Yet, taking a look at the details surrounding her life, it's difficult to think otherwise.

Judy Garland was born Frances Ethel Gumm on June 10, 1922. According to Biography, her parents, Ethel Milne and Frank Gumm, didn't plan to have a child — in fact, her mother contemplated an abortion, yet due to the risk that it put on Ethel herself (and the fact that the operation was illegal at the time), the pair ultimately decided to have the baby.

Judy wasn't the first tot for the troubled couple; she had two older sisters: Mary Jane and Virginia. It was alleged that Frank was having "affairs with young men and teenage boys" around the time Ethel became pregnant with her youngest, and the rumors got so out of hand that the family had to move from Grand Rapids, Minnesota, to California in 1926. The move didn't do much to fix the Gumm's marriage. "As I recall, my parents were separating and getting back together all the time," Garland once shared (via Biography). "It was very hard for me to understand those things and, of course, I remember clearly the fear I had of those separations."

However, what the move to The Golden State did do was jumpstart Judy's career. The actor signed with MGM in 1935 — the same year her father died of meningitis. Ethel remarried a mere four years later — on the anniversary of Frank's death, no less — and her relationship with Judy became even more strained afterward, not to mention the actor's disdain for her new stepfather.

If the childhood traumas Judy Garland suffered weren't enough, she had to deal with dehumanizing comments about her weight, too. After signing with MGM in 1935, the young star was expected to appear in her first feature flick the following year, titled "Pigskin Parade." She was only 14 (via Biography). To make sure she was camera-ready, studio head Louis B. Mayer demanded Garland's diet consisted of "chicken soup, black coffee, and cigarettes, along with pills to reduce her appetite."

As detailed in "Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland," after "Pigskin Parade" came out, Garland was calling herself as "a fat little frightening pig with pigtails" — an image of herself she surely developed thanks to MGM. Mayer referred to his A-lister as "my little hunchback," a "joke" Garland often quipped herself, too. It didn't help that the press wasn't forgiving, either, and at one point, the New York Post even began calling the actor "plump Judy Garland." Garland has said that above anything else in her childhood, the "constant struggle" regarding food was what she remembered the most.

Sadly, Garland's body image issues followed her into adulthood. As her third husband, Sid Luft, recalled in his book, "Judy and I," she never gave up her obsessive desire to be "camera slim" — even if it meant using dangerous methods.

If you are struggling with an eating disorder, or know someone who is, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).

Growing up under MGM's wing was a far cry from the typical youth Judy Garland craved. As shockingly detailed by "When Doctors Kill: Who, Why, and How," from 1939 to 1948, Garland filmed 21 movies — all with her daily cocktails of "pep pills" and sleeping pills.

As a result, the star's work suffered. Per PBS, the medications had Garland struggling to get through her lines and musical numbers. She started turning up to set late (or not at all), ultimately holding up productions — a bad look for MGM and one of its biggest stars (via CBS). Besides being detrimental to the young actor's physical health, this routine took a toll on her mentally, as well. According to "When Doctors Kill," while filming "The Pirate" in 1947, "Garland suffered a nervous breakdown" and was put in a "private sanitarium." Things only got more alarming from there, and by the time she was in her mid-20s, Garland was receiving "electroshock therapy for depression."

By 1950, Garland's relationship with MGM was on thin ice. The actor was "suspended" from filming the musical "Annie Get Your Gun," leading to more electroshock therapy and an annoyed Louis B. Mayer who reportedly moaned, "I've got millions tied up in this girl, I need her to work." After a few more on-set stumbles that year, MGM studios officially fired Garland on June 17.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Out of all of the loves Judy Garland had in her life, none of them seemed to last. Sadly, four of the star's marriages ended in divorce, with the fifth tragically cut short due to her death. As noted by Town & Country, Garland's first marriage was to David Rose in 1941 — a shock at the time due to the star only having been 19, while Rose was 31. Of course, MGM disapproved of this union, yet Garland was determined, eloping in Las Vegas. After a "secret abortion" and the couple's inability to see eye to eye, the pair divorced in 1944.

Next up was director Vincent Minnelli in 1945 — a coupling Garland's studio finally approved of. In fact, according to Town & Country, it was studio head, Louis B. Mayer himself who walked the blushing bride down the aisle. However, with the star's growing instability, the pair parted ways in 1949, making room for her third husband, Sid Luft — and what was to become her longest marriage. Luft and Garland married in 1952, yet, for similar reasons that drove the star and Minnelli apart, this union also came to a close in 1965. A "whirlwind romance" to fourth husband, Mark Herron, happened that same year, sadly only lasting until 1967.

Garland's final and shortest marriage was to Mickey Deans in 1969. By now, the actor struggled with various physical and mental ailments, ultimately leading to her fatal overdose a mere three months after her wedding date (via Town & Country).

The final years of Judy Garland's life were not filled with glitz and glam — the sort of end you'd expect from such a Hollywood legend that left her impact on the industry. Heartbreakingly enough, things only escalated even further.

Garland's daughter, Lorna Luft, spoke about her mom's financial struggles in her memoir, "Me and my Shadows," noting that thanks to agents, the IRS, no-show concerts, and "old debts," Garland was completely broke. And yet, because the "Wizard of Oz" star was so used to a certain way of living, "she had no idea what things cost or how to keep a track of her money." Even as eviction notices came the family's way, Garland would perform various dramatic stunts as a means to get out of seemingly desperate situations.

In 1968, a year before her death, Garland embarked on a string of concerts in London, England (via Time). According to The Guardian, these shows were difficult to watch, what with the star's slurred speech and heckling of the audience. "The shoddy, tarnished world that created her has emasculated her," wrote journalist Tony Palmer. "It's pathetic and lonely and dignified."

Of course, it would be impossible to claim Judy Garland's lifelong problems with addiction didn't contribute to her mental health struggles. According to The New York Times, after five husbands, "at least" 20 attempts at taking her own life, hospitalizations, and even the harrowing studio-ordered electroshock therapy, it's no wonder Garland struggled as much as she did throughout her life. Yet, was something else plaguing her as well?

While there are no documented reports of the "Summer Stock" actor suffering from any confirmed mental illness, some have alleged the star may have been bipolar. "The SAGE Encyclopedia of Intellectual and Developmental Disorders" notes a "link between bipolar disorder and creativity," citing many famous artists who have supposedly struggled with the illness — including Garland. "The Bipolar Express" goes even further, noting that because the actor was purportedly suffering from the disorder, it only exacerbated her prescription pill addiction.

Whether or not Judy Garland had undiagnosed bipolar disorder, one thing remains certain: the star lived an incredibly tragic life. Still, her legacy remains unwavering. "You can't ever get in the way of talent like my mom's," declared Garland's daughter, Liza Minnelli, to CBS. "No matter what people said, or what people did, or what drama was created, or what was going on. That talent will come through again, and again, and again."

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.