RIP Bettie Page. What a sad day for all of us.

[NolaChick™ {Madam}]

"I was not trying to be shocking, or to be a pioneer. I wasn't trying to change society, or to be ahead of my time. I didn't think of myself as liberated, and I don't believe that I did anything important. I was just myself. I didn't know any other way to be, or any other way to live."- Bettie Page 1923-2008


http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117997269.html?categoryId=25&...

Bettie Page dies at 85

Bettie Page, the legendary 1950s pin-up queen with a shoulder-length pageboy hairdo and kitschy bangs whose saucy photos helped usher in the sexual revolution of the 1960s, has died, the L.A Times is reporting. She was 85.
She suffered a heart attack one week ago and never regained consciousness.

Page, whose later life was marked by depression, violent mood swings and several years in a state mental institution, died at a Los Angeles hospital where she had been on life support since she had a heart attack on Dec. 2, according to her agent, Mark Roesler.

Her popularity as an underground, guilty pleasures phenomenon has continued to soar despite the fact that the reclusive Page disappeared almost a half century ago. A cult-culture figure, Page was most famous for the estimated 20,000 4-by-5-inch black-and-white glossy photographs taken by amateur shutterbugs from 1949 and to 1957.

[Violet Absinthe]

I just seen Bettie's passing in the news. It most definately is a sad day for all. Bettie will truely be missed by one and all.

[Taffeta Darling]

wonderful post. thanks for getting this started.
yanno i've been to 6 funerals in two years. I never understood what my dad would say until recently.
The older i get the more people i lose. duh. i never knew her but i always had her in my heart.

[Michelle LeRoux]

I am so sad. Bettie showed us what a woman really is-sweet, charming, smart, coy, comfortable, and strong. The first time I saw a picture of her, I was fascinated. This was during the waif heyday of Kate Moss. A little stick of a thing. I was not that, so I was not beautiful. That's what the magazines at the checkout stand told me every day. Finding Bettie changed that. I learned from her to be comfortable in my own skin, curves and all. I can't express in this little post how much she means to me, and I'm sure for all of you as well. She is loved, and will be missed.

[John at My Favorite Pinups{★}]

The ancient Egyptians had a phrase that was often inscribed on their funeral stele
"Speak my name that I may live"

They held a belief that as long as someone remembers you
whispers your name to the winds
remembers them
that they would live forever and be immortal

The people on this site, and those like it, are the legacy of Bettie Page
and thru the work of the pinups, the photographers, the hair and makeup artists, those who draw
and the fans
she will be immortal
and live on

[Ellie Retrophilia]

[Jian Bastille]

I know a rotten bastard who's got unseen reels of Bettie is going to be rich really soon, since she passed. :(

Seriously, this guy's in his late 70s himself, and was a close friend of hers back in the day.

Should've stolen them, (for all the money he owed me and mine,) and put them online for everyone to enjoy for free.

[Edson Carlos]

Wow, a thats terrible news, but with the suffering that could come from her illness its a blessing. A new star will appear in the sky. RIP Bettie

[Infamous Nina Nightshade]

This is so bittersweet for me. Having just lost my father-in-law last month in almost the exact same way. It is sad to see her go, but good to know that she is now at peace.
May she live on through all of us who loved her in our own way.

[Brandee Lee(SGC)]

r.i.p bettie i love u!thank you for opening doors for models like myself that dares to be different and not be like everyone else

[Yaguza]

R.I.P Bettie :(

[Kristal]

It definitely is sad to see a legend such as Bettie Page pass away. However, if anyone is familiar with her life story at all will know she lived a life of sickness both physically and mentally. Attempted murder, years in psychiatric wards and living the remainder of her life as a recluse is not the happiest of lives. We should take solace in knowing she is not in pain anymore and celebrate the legacy and a remarkable inspiration she has been and will be to many people. RIP.

[Edson Carlos]