Celebrity OriginsLists of interesting trivia and fun facts about where famous people were born, how they grew up, and what their lives were like when they were young.
List of Famous Orphans, loosely ranked by fame and popularity. Some very famous people were left orphaned after their parents died or abandoned their families. Famous political leaders, actors, authors and musicians have all been orphans. Some celebrities lost their parents when they were very young, while others became orphans when they were teenagers. These famous people were either raised by family or placed in orphanages and foster homes.
Who is the most famous orphan? Marilyn Monroe tops our list. There is some discrepancies about the identity of Marilyn Monroe's father, but by all accounts he was not present during her childhood. Her mother was mentally unstable and placed Monroe, then known by the name Norma Jeane Baker, with a foster family. When Monroe was seven she was declared a ward of the state. She was raised by her mother's friend for a few years, but she later spent time in an orphanage, more foster homes and with other family members.
Malcolm X's father died when Malcolm X was just six years old. He died under suspicious circumstances in a streetcar accident, but the family suspected that he was murdered by a white racist group. When Malcolm X was 12, his mother suffered a nervous breakdown and spent the next 24 years in a state hospital. Malcolm X lived in foster homes for a few years and eventually he stayed with his half-sister.
Do you think that being an orphan played into the success of these famous folks. Share your thoughts in the comments section.
There is some discrepancies about the identity of Marilyn Monroe's father, but by all accounts, he was not present during her childhood. Her mother was mentally unstable and placed Monroe, then known by the name Norma Jean Baker, with a foster family. When Monroe was seven, she was declared a ward of the state. She was raised by her mother's friend for a few years, but she later spent time in an orphanage, more foster homes, and with other family members.
When Ray Charles was 10 years old, his father, Bailey Robinson, abandoned the family. His mother Aretha died in 1947, when he was 15. Charles stayed with family friends for about a year after that before he went to Seattle to pursue his music.
Ella Fitzgerald's father William left her family when she was an infant. Her mother Tempie died from a heart attack in 1931, when Fitzgerald was 15. After she was abused by her step-father, Fitzgerald ran away to her aunt's house. She then spent time in an orphanage and a reformatory, and she was even homeless for a period of time.
Malcolm X's father, Earl Little, died when Malcolm was just six years old. He died under suspicious circumstances in a streetcar accident, but the family suspected that he was murdered by a white racist group. When Malcolm was 12, his mother Louise suffered a nervous breakdown and spent the next 24 years in a state hospital. Malcolm X lived in foster homes for a few years, and eventually he stayed with his half-sister.
Age: Dec. at 39 (1925-1965)
Birthplace: USA, Nebraska, Omaha, North Omaha, Nebraska
Eleanor Roosevelt's mother, Anna Rebecca Hall, died from diphtheria in 1892. The next year, when Roosevelt was 9 years old, her father Elliott died from the same disease. She was raised by her maternal grandmother.
Ice-T's mother, Alice Marrow, died when he was in the third grade. His father Solomon raised him until he died of a heart attack when Ice-T was 12. He was then raised by his aunt and uncle.
