What did lana turner pass away from?
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John "Johnny" Stompanato (October 10, 1925 - April 4, 1958), also known as "Handsome Harry", "Johnny Stomp", "John Steele", and "Oscar", was a former United States Marine who became a bodyguard and enforcer for gangster Mickey Cohen. In 1958, after a tumultuous relationship with actress Lana Turner, he was stabbed to death by Turner's daughter, Cheryl Crane.
Biography[]
Early years[]
John Stompanato, Jr. was born into an Italian-American family in Woodstock, Illinois. His father, John Sr., owned a barber shop. His mother, Carmela, was a seamstress. Both parents were born in Italy, but were married in Brooklyn. The family moved to Woodstock in 1916. Johnny was the youngest of four children and grew up with two older sisters, Grace and Teresa; and older brother, Carmine. Six days after John's birth, his mother died of peritonitis. Johnny's father was soon remarried to a woman named Verena Freitag.[citation needed]
Wartime service[]
In 1940, after Stompanato's freshman year at Woodstock High School, his father sent him to Kemper Military School for boys in Boonvil
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Johnny Stompanato
Ex-marine and gang enforcer
John Stompanato | |
|---|---|
Stompanato with Lana Turner | |
| Birth name | John Stompanato Jr. |
| Nickname(s) | Johnny, Jack, Handsome Harry, Johnny Stomp, John Steele, Oscar |
| Born | (1925-10-10)October 10, 1925 Woodstock, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | April 4, 1958(1958-04-04) (aged 32) Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
| Place of burial | Oakland Cemetery |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service / branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1943–1946 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | Service Battalion, 1st Marine Division |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Spouse(s) | Sara Utush (m. 1946; div. 1949)Helen Gilbert (m. 1949; div. 1949)Helene Stanley (m. 1953; div. 1955) |
| Other work | Mob Bodyguard |
John Stompanato Jr. (October 10, 1925 – April 4, 1958) was a United States Marine and gangster who became a bodyguard and enforcer
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Killing of Johnny Stompanato
1958 killing ruled to be self-defense
34°04′34″N118°24′55″W / 34.076090°N 118.415260°W / 34.076090; -118.415260
On the evening of April 4, 1958, 14-year-old Cheryl Crane fatally stabbed 32-year-old Johnny Stompanato, the boyfriend of her mother, actress Lana Turner, at Turner's rented home in Beverly Hills, California, United States. Stompanato, a former Marine and an associate of the Cohen crime family, had been in a year-long relationship with Turner that had been rocky and marked with physical abuse.
Crane and Turner alleged that the former had stabbed Stompanato in the stomach when Turner was ushering him out of her bedroom during a violent argument. Crane had heard the fighting and armed herself with a kitchen knife, planning to defend her mother. After Crane turned herself in to police in the early morning hours of April 5, she was held in a juvenile hall. A coroner's inquest was held on April 11, during which the homicide was deemed justifiable and Crane was exonerated of any wrongdoing. She was released in late Ap
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