FAMOUS TEXAN DIES

Those close to her knew her as Juanita Dale Slusher; to everyone else she was Candy Barr, possibly the most famous Texan of the 1950s and early 60s. At 16 she starred in the stag film Smart Alec, according to legend performing at gunpoint. At the height of her popularity, she earned $2,000 a week as an exotic dancer. She had connections to Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby and was reputed to have been the lover of notorious gangster Mickey Cohen. She trained Joan Collins for her role as an exotic dancer in the film "Seven Thieves," receiving credit as a technical advisor. She was stunningly attractive; at 5'4" measuring in at 38-22-36. She spent time in jail for marijuana possession but later in life wrote religious poetry. She last performed in the 1960s. She died of pneumonia over the weekend in Edna, her hometown.

A tasteful but not work-safe photo gallery is here.

They don't make characters like Candy anymore, and haven't for quite some time. Rest in peace.