Former child actress and Hollywood icon Shirley Temple has died at the age of 85 years old.
Temple died of natural causes, Monday, at her Woodside, CA home, her publicists confirmed Tuesday morning.
“She was surrounded by her family and caregivers,” a statement released by her family said. “We salute her for a life of remarkable achievements as an actor, as a diplomat, and… our beloved mother, grandmother [and] great-grandmother.”
Temple found fame as a child becoming the most famous child actress of the 20th century. Some of her most noteworthy films include “Curly Top, “The Little Colonel” “The Littlest Rebel” and “Stand Up Cheer.”
She was born in Santa Monica, CA, on April 23, 1928 and began taking dance classes by the age of three. Her franchise includes dolls, dishes, and clothing catered to her wholesome image.
She was even responsible for the now famous non-alcoholic drink, “Shirley Temple,” comprised of ginger ale, grenadine topped with a cherry.
In her later years Temple sat on the boards of several corporations including the Walt Disney Company, Del Monte and the National Wildlife Federation. And although she unsuccessfully ran for Congress as a Republican in 1967, she would later become the ambassador for Ghana and Czechoslovakia in 1988.
She married Charles Black in 1950, a marriage that lasted until his death in 2005 at age 86.
She is survived by her children Charles Jr and Lori and eldest daughter Linda from her previous marriage to John Agar.
