Decades after the world lost Judy Garland to a fatal drug overdose at the young age of 47, a freshly penned memoir shedding light on the tumultuous life and relationships of the iconic songstress has emerged.
Titled “Judy and I: My Life with Judy Garland,” the book penned by Sid Luft, Garland’s third husband and father to Lorna and Joey Luft, delves into her struggles with depression, prolonged pill consumption, a past abortion during their early union, and multiple suicide endeavors.
(Garland was also a mother to Liza Minnelli, her daughter from her second marriage to director Vincente Minnelli.)
Luft’s narrative is derived from notes of his unreleased autobiography, crafted prior to his demise in 2005.
Detailing an alarming episode from the early 1950s, Luft recounts an instance where Garland’s despair led her to attempt self-harm by slashing her throat in their Beverly Hills residence.
Rushing home to the distressing scene, Luft pondered the inner turmoil that drove her to such drastic measures: “What demons inhabited her soul just when life seemed so rich and productive?…
It was a gigantic puzzlement that she would poison herself with pills, and that the toxic reaction to whatever she swallowed would create an impulse for self-mutilation.”
Fortunately, medical intervention spared Garland’s life following this harrowing incident.
Furthermore, Luft discloses another suicide endeavor that occurred in a Washington D.C. hotel several years later.
Recalling the distressing moment, Luft vividly describes Garland’s revelation of her self-inflicted wounds: “When Judy came out in her short white lace negligee, her arms were in front of her and she said, ‘Look, darling, what I’ve done!’
Her wrists had been slashed and she was bleeding profusely.”
Promptly attending to her injuries, Luft applied tourniquets before seeking medical assistance.
Luft sheds light on Garland’s intense battle with pill dependency, particularly on Benzedrine, which she purportedly used to maintain a slender frame for her on-screen appearances.
As Luft recounts, Garland’s weight fluctuations posed a significant health risk, signifying an alarming reliance on medication.
Despite facing criticism for his motives in marrying Garland, including an attempt to auction her Oscar in 1993, Luft professes his genuine affection for her and his unwavering efforts to shield her from harm.
Reflecting on his tumultuous relationship with Garland, Luft expressed in a 2001 interview, “Whatever bad things happened, you don’t fall out of love with somebody like her…
If anyone tried to save a woman who was breaking apart, I did.
I know that I did the best I could do, and it still wasn’t enough.”
“Judy and I: My Life with Judy Garland” published by Chicago Review Press is set to hit shelves on March 1st.
