Sam Cooke and Terri Garr - This Day in History – Dec 11th

Singer, Sam Cooke dies after an altercation with a hotel manager

Back in 1964, the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles, CA became famous due to the mysterious death of singer, Sam Cooke after being shot three times in the chest by its hotel manger, Berta Franklin.”

According to history.com, “The authorities ruled Cooke's death a case of justifiable homicide, based on the testimony of Ms. Franklin, who claimed that Cooke had threatened her life after attempting to rape a young woman with whom he had earlier checked in.”

Before Mr. Cooke’s death at the age of 33 he was famous for the following songs:

You Send Me

Everyone Like To Cha Cha Cha

Only Sixteen

Twistin' the Night Away

Having' a Party'

History.com indicated that, “in the years since his death, the circumstances surrounding Cooke's shooting have been called into question by his family and others. Though the truth of what happened on this day in 1964 might remain uncertain, Sam Cooke's place in the history of popular music is anything but.”

Actress, Terri Garr is born

Back in 1944, Lakewood, OH welcomed the birth of future Hollywood Actress, Terri Garr.  Ms. Garr is famous for starring in movies such as:

“Oh God”

“Tootsie”

“Close Encounter of the Third Kind”

“Young Frankenstein”

Born into a family of show biz veterans, Ms. Garr’s mother was a Rockette and her father was a vaudeville performer.  Ms. Garr was also an uncredited dancer in seven Elvis Presley movies. 

According to history.com, “In 1982, Garr co-starred in Tootsie, writer-director Sydney Pollack's comedy about an out-of-work actor, played by Dustin Hoffman, who dresses in drag to land a role. The film was a huge box-office success and earned nine Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Garr's portrayal of Sandy Lester, the neurotic actress friend of Hoffman's character. Garr lost the Oscar to her Tootsie cast mate, Jessica Lange, who played a soap actress for whom Hoffman's character falls.”

Ms. Garr’s facial features were very similar to actress, Lisa Kudrow of the hit show Friends, she played the mother of Kudrow’s character, Phoebe Buffay. 

In 2002, Garr publicly announced that she has been suffering from multiple sclerosis for a number of years. Since then, she has been a dedicated advocate for awareness of the disease. Garr published an autobiography, Speedbumps, in 2005.

All History facts provided from the link below:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sam-cooke-dies-under-suspicious-circumstances-in-la?catId=13