Linda Darnell Dies of Burns

Apr. 10, 1965 - Linda Darnell, 43, who was regarded as one of the great beauties of the motion pictures, died today of burns that seared 80% of her body.

Warden Fred Hertwig of Chicago’s Cook County Hospital reported that death came at 2:25 p.m. to the dark-eyed brunette who had been seen by millions in such hits as “Forever Amber” and “Letter to Three Wives.”

She had been under intensive care in the hospital’s burn treatment center. 

Miss Darnell had been a guest in the home of Mrs. Jeanne Curtis, 675 Carriage Hill Road, Glenview, for two weeks. Mrs. Curtis had been her secretary, and they had been friends for 18 years.

Glenview police said today that Miss Darnell and Mrs. Curtis had viewed “Star Dust,” Miss Darnell’s third movie, on television in the living room until midnight Thursday. The actress was amused by the old film, in which she co-starred with John Payne, and “giggled all the way through it,” the police were told.

Miss Darnell and Mrs. Curtis, who smoked on the living room couch, then went to bed in the master bedroom and red until 2:45 a.m. yesterday before falling asleep, police said. About 5 a.m., Mrs. Curtis’ daughter, Patricia, 16, awakened them complaining of smoke.

Using wet towels as a shield, Mrs. Curtis lowered her daughter to the ground from a second-floor window and then escaped. Miss Darnell later was found lying next to the couch on the floor of the living room, where the fire was most intense.

Firemen said the blaze probably began with a cigarette that fell into the couch.

When Linda Monette Eloyse Darnell was 15, she was discovered by a talent scout in Dallas, her birthplace, where she was a model. Her career included more than 50 movies.

She won one of Hollywood’s most coveted roles when she was chosen for the title role in “Forever Amber” (1947). She recently had concentrated on television and public appearances.

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