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Jane Withers dies aged 95

The former child star passed away on Saturday (07.08.21) in Burbank, California, and her daughter Kendall Errair has paid tribute to her late mum.

She said in a statement: "My mother was such a special lady.

"She lit up a room with her laughter, but she especially radiated joy and thankfulness when talking about the career she so loved and how lucky she was."

An official cause of death is yet to be revealed for the actress, who was a child star in Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s.

Her first big break came in 1934 movie 'Bright Eyes', in which she appeared opposite Shirley Temple, and she went on to play the titular role in 'Ginger' a year later when she was just nine years old.

In the same year, Jane appeared opposite Henry Fonda in 'The Farmer Takes a Wife'.

She was the only child star to complete a seven-year deal at 20th Century-Fox Studios.

Jane starred in several motion pictures in her teens, including 'My Best Gal' and 'Johnny Doughboy', but she later retired from acting in 1947 aged just 21.

However, the actress was tempted back to the big screen when George Stevens cast her in his 1956 film 'Giant', alongside Rock Hudson, Dame Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean.

She starred in a few movies afterwards and most recently lent her voice to 1996 animated film 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' and 2002 sequel 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame II', which was her final movie role.

Jane was also no stranger to the small screen, appearing in a few episodes of 'Murder, She Wrote', and she starred in an episode of 'The Munsters'.

Off screen, the star had an avid doll and teddy bear collection, which was boosted by contributions from her fans.

In 2004, it was reported Jane - who suffered from lupus and vertigo - had handed out more than 42,000 items among her friends for safekeeping. 

Reference: ShowBiz Bang: Bang Showbiz