Culture & Entertainment

RIP Shirley Temple

Canadian Living
Culture & Entertainment

RIP Shirley Temple

Today is a sad day for film as it was announced that child actress Shirley Temple passed away last night at the age of 85. Shirley Temple danced her way into the hearts of many generations in films like Curly Top, Wee Willie Winkie and The Little Princess, which is where the screencap above is from. Of course, she was equally as well known for her blonde ringlets, which is where the term Shirley Temple curls comes from. Shirley's career is rather remarkable. She started acting at age 3 and received the first ever Juvenile Academy Award at age 6. In her later life, Shirley went on to become a delegate to the United Nations and was an ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia for the United States. But I think her most remarkable contribution to the world was in 1972 when she held a news conference in her hospital room after having her left cancerous breast removed. She openly discussed her mastectomy and said "the only reason I am telling this is to convince other women to watch for any lump or unusual symptom. There is almost certain cure for cancer if it is caught early enough." In a time when we celebrated Angelina Jolie's openness about her mastectomy, we truly have Shirley Temple to thank for encouraging women to speak out about breast cancer. Shirley Temple had three children and was married to her husband Charles Black for more than 50 years. We will miss you Shirley, today we raise a Shirley Temple in your honour. What was your favourite Shirley Temple movie?  

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RIP Shirley Temple

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