Estelita Rodriguez

Estelita Rodriguez was found dead on the kitchen floor of her North Hollywood home at age 37, a sudden end to a life that had veered from Hollywood stardom to four marriages. Born in Guanajay, Cuba, she grew up to become a Cuban actress known for her roles in Roy Rogers Republic westerns and Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo. Her career started in 1942 when MGM signed her at 14, but the studio dropped her before she made a film. She returned to New York, then in 1949 signed a five-picture deal with Republic.

Her first film was Belle of Old Mexico, which she disliked, reportedly saying, "Everyone treats me like a kid. I am a mother." She went on to star with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans in Twilight in the Sierras and with Rogers in In Old Amarillo. Her last Republic film was Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter in 1952. Rodriguez had one child, Nina, with her first husband, Mexican singer Chu Chu Martinez. Her later husbands included newspaper man Grant Withers, with John Wayne as best man, and finally Dr. Ricardo A. Pego, to whom she was married when she died. The cause of death was not made public, though some sources cited influenza. She is buried at San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, California. She had black hair, brown eyes, stood 5'5" tall, and had a slim build with a 34D bra cup size.