Judy Garland's career was tainted by her drug addiction, suicide attempts, and a tumultuous marriage to her third husband Sid Luft. Now "The Wizard of Oz" star's daughter Lorna Luft is opening up about her parents' "volatile" relationship.
"My father was like a tough guy out of 'Guys and Dolls' and my mother felt that was a lot of fun," the 66-year-old told Closer Weekly in a recent interview. "They loved each other and had a real bond, but their relationship could be volatile because my dad had a temper and wouldn't say no," she continued. "And she had a temper and wouldn't say no. So that got interesting!"
The couple first met when Garland was 15, but they only began dating 14 years later, eventually tying the knot in June 1952, People reported. They welcomed Lorna into the world that same year, and three years later Garland gave birth to Joey Luft.
They remained together for 13 years, which was Garland's longest relationship. Despite this, their marriage was marred by numerous separations and allegations of abuse.
A forthcoming Showtime documentary titled "Sid & Judy" will take a closer look at Garland's relationship with Sid and the misconceptions surrounding it, director Stephen Kijak told Closer Weekly.
"Sid has been accused of being an alcoholic, gambling and stealing [Judy's] money, and all of those things are probably true," he said. "But what is also true is that they had great respect and love for each other. He really did cherish her talent and helped her achieve a lot of great things in that partnership."
Garland suffered from depression and was at a low point in her life when they married. In his memoirs, Sid said he felt a strong desire to protect his wife. He was not able to do so.
Garland attempted suicide on several occasions. She also developed a dependency to prescription drugs and, when their marriage came to an end, accused Sid of physical abuse, the Asssociated Press reported.
Garland did what she could to outrun her demons but they caught up to her in 1969, when she died from an accidental barbiturate overdose at 47.
Despite it all, Sid said he had a great love for Garland.
"Whatever bad things happened, you don't fall out of love with somebody like her," he reflected in his memoirs, according to Fox News. "All I know is that if anyone tried to save a woman who was breaking apart, I did. I know that I did the best I could do, and it still wasn't enough."
Kijak agreed, telling Closer Weekly that the couple shared a real connection.
"Whatever their traumas were behind the scenes, this intense collaboration produced some of her great second-act victories."