Jane Russell dies at age 89

Fifties movie bombshell Jane Russell died Monday morning at her home in Santa Maria, California, her family said. She was 89.

Russell is best known for her debut film role in “The Outlaw,” a film which stirred up controversy in the ’40s because it boldly bared her cleavage. In fact, it took the film 5 years to be cleared for a wide release. She later starred opposite such icons as Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe.

Although Russell made only a handful of films after the 1960s, she had remained active in her church, with charitable organizations and with a local singing group until her health began to decline just a couple weeks ago, said her daughter-in-law, Etta Waterfield.

“She always said I’m going to die in the saddle, I’m not going to sit at home and become an old woman,” Waterfield told The Associated Press. “And that’s exactly what she did, she died in the saddle.”