Clara Bow

An autopsy revealed that she suffered from atherosclerosis, a disease of the heart that can begin in early adolescence. Bow's heart showed scarring from an earlier undetected heart attack. She was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. Her pallbearers were Harry Richman, Richard Arlen, Jack Oakie, Maxie Rosenbloom, Jack Dempsey, and Buddy Rogers.

In 1999 film historian Leonard Maltin said, "You think of Greta Garbo, Lillian Gish, all these great names, great actresses, Clara Bow was more popular in terms of box-office dollars, in terms of consistently bringing audiences into the theaters, she was right on top." In 1999 the American Film Institute left Bow outside its final "100 Years 100 Stars" list, although she was on the list of nominees. Film historian Kevin Brownlow doesn't even mention her name in his book on silent films, The Parade's Gone By (1968). Louise Brooks, who rated an entire chapter in the book, was less impressed: "You brush off Clara Bow," she wrote to Brownlow, "for some old nothing like Brooks. Clara made three pictures that will never be surpassed: Dancing Mothers, Mantrap and It". Brownlow however made up for his omission of Clara in The Parade's Gone By by including a whole segment on her in his 1980 television documentary Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film in which he extensively interviewed Brooks for the segment. Read Less