(LOS ANGELES) — Ann Rutherford, the demure brunette actress who
played the sweetheart in the long-running Andy Hardy series and Scarlett
O’Hara’s youngest sister in “Gone With the Wind,” has died. She was 94.
A close friend, Anne Jeffreys, said she was at Rutherford’s side when
the actress died Monday evening at home in Beverly Hills. Rutherford
died of heart problems and had been ill for several months, Jeffreys
said. Rutherford’s death was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.
“She was a dear person, a very funny lady, wonderful heart, was always
trying to do things for people,” said Jeffreys, a leading lady of many
films of the 1940s and a star of the 1950s TV sitcom “Topper.”
Rutherford was a frequent guest at “Gone With the Wind” celebrations in Georgia
and, as one of the few remaining actors from the movie, continued to
attract fans from around the world, Jeffreys said. “She loved it. It
really stimulated the last years of her life, because she got thousands
of emails from fans,” Jeffreys said. “She was in great demand.”
