Inside Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney’s unbreakable bond- there was more than a love affair

Judy Garland was born Frances Ethel Gumm in Grand Rapids, Minnesota on June 10, 1922. 

At the age of 2 she had her first public performance and soon started performing with her two older sisters forming the group the “Gumm Sisters.”

Their parents were in the show business and wanted their daughters to follow their steps which wasn’t a great decision after all.

In 1967, Garland said her mother was a “mean” stage mother. “She was very jealous because she had absolutely no talent,” she said. “She would stand in the wings, and if I didn’t feel good, she’d say, ‘You get out and sing, or I’ll wrap you around the bedpost and break you off short!’ So I’d go out and sing.”

Her father was having an affair with other women, and their mother, Ethel moved to California with the girls which turned out great for Garland’s career.

“As I recall, my parents were separating and getting back together all the time. It was tough for me to understand those things, and, of course, I remember clearly the fear I had of those separations,” Garland recalled of the time.

Judy Garland started touring the US as a solo act when she was ten and was soon signed three years later to the MGM studio.

At the age of 13 with all the buzz, parties and spending over 18hrs a day in the studio did have a lot of impact on Garland as she was ripped off her teenage days.

At the age of 17, Garland became Hollywood’s sweetheart after starring in Wizard of Oz as Dorothy. Her acting skills and amazing voice charmed everyone.

She was getting the fame and the spotlight but her life was never the same after her ordeals in the hands of MGM.

Judy Garland got married for the first time at the age of 19 to David Rose, British composer and bandleader. 

They divorced three years later and she went on to marry Vincente Minnelli, a stage and film director in 1945. They had a child Liza Minelli.

In 1952, she got married to her third husband, Sidney Luft and welcomed two children, together, Lorna and Joey Luft.

Judy Garland got married to Mickey Rooney in 1952 and their marriage lasted for 13 years. The same year after her divorce she got married to Mark Herron and went separate ways five months after their marriage.

In 1969, she married her last husband Mickey Deans before her passing away on June 22, 1969. 

Her longest marriage was with Mickey Rooney and they have the strongest bonds ever. They were both signed under MGM.

“Judy and I were so close we could’ve come from the same womb,” Rooney said. “We weren’t like brothers or sisters, but there was no love affair there; there was more than a love affair.

It’s very, very difficult to explain the depths of our love for each other. It was so special. It was a forever love. Judy, as we speak, has not passed away. She’s always with me in every heartbeat of my body.”

The legendary icon might have passed away but she will always be remembered. May she keep resting in Peace.