It's rare that a burlesque performer and stripper should become a household name, but Blaze Starr managed to do that. However, she didn't reach that level of infamy from her talent and jugs alone. She got herself involved in a major scandal! Let's throw it back today to redheaded hottie Blaze Starr and her blazin' hot breasts.
Blazewas born Fannie Belle Fleming in 1932 in West Virginia with 11 siblings. With that many brothers and sisters, no one really batted an eye when Blaze left home as a young teenager to move to Washington D.C. where she was discovered by a club promoter. The promoter talked her into taking off her clothes onstage and promised to make her a star and she couldn't wait to do it.
She changed her name to Blaze Starr and moved to Baltimore where she headlined clubs and rose to national fame with a feature in 1954's Esquire (the magazine would chronicle Blaze again and more in-depth ten years later)! Blaze's voluptuous figure was sought over all over the country who wanted to get a glimpse at this top-heavy entertainer.
Like we said, her real fame came from a scandal that involved the governor of Louisana, Earl Long. She met him in New Orleans and the pair began a long affair.When the governor died in 1960, news of their affair broke as did the story that his divorce was about tobe finalized two months before his death and Blaze and Mr. Long were engaged to be married. Papers speculated about whether or not it was true, but Blaze wore a diamond ring she said was from him for a long time after.
BoobaliciousBlaze has one major film contribution under her loose belt and it's Blaze Starr Goes Nudist which features sexy scenes of Blaze going, well, nude!
Sadly, Blaze's flame went out on June 15, 2015, when she passed away at the age 83. Her legacy, however, lives on. Her shows her a major tourist attraction in Baltimore and Baltimore native John Watersclaims that Blaze's style and seduction was the inspiration for Divine's characters in many of his films like Pink Flamingos.
Watch a hot video of Blaze stripping from the 1950's here. It isn't her famous couch-catching-fire routine, but it still showcases the moves that made Blaze famous!
