Candy Barr Dies

Candy Barr, who made headlines as a burlesque dancer from the 1950s, died Friday at a Victoria, Texas hospital of pneumonia, according to the Associated Press. She was 70.

Barr rose to prominence as an exotic dancer in Dallas in the late 1950s and was associated with nightclub owner Jack Ruby, who was accused of gunning down Lee Harvey Oswald, the man suspected of assassinating President John F. Kennedy, the wire service reported.

At age 16, Barr starred in one of the most famous stag movies, Smart Alec in 1951.

Barr was known for her choreography and even trained actress Joan Collins for the 1960 movie Seven Thieves.

Barr performed in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, making her one of the most well-known exotic dancers in the United States.

The Associated Press said that at one point Barr earned $2,000 a week.

Barr’s rising career was interrupted in 1959 when she was sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Dallas judge for possessing less than an ounce of marijuana, according to a news report.

She was paroled after serving three years and four months, AP reported.

In 1976 at the age of 42, Barr was on the cover of Texas Monthly and in 2001 granted the magazine her last known interview, the news service reported.

According to the Abilene Reporter-News, Bar was married four times and had at least one child, a daughter.