Actress Lauren Bacall dead, aged 89

Actress Lauren Bacall died from a stroke yesterday, aged 89, pronounced dead in her Hollywood home.

Her death was confirmed by the Bogart Estate, run by her three children, Stephen Humphrey Bogart, Leslie Bogart and Sam Robards (the former two are the offspring of Bacall and co-star / ex-husband Humphrey Bogart).

Bacall made her film debut at age 19, co-starring with Bogart in ‘To Have And Have Not’. She then went on to make some 60 movies, many of which shine as highlights of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Among her most famous films are ‘How To Marry A Millionaire’ (where she played opposite Marilyn Monroe), ‘Dark Passage’, ‘The Big Sleep’ and ‘Key Largo’ (the final film pairing between she and hubby Humphrey, later famously referenced in a song by Bertie Higgins).

Bacall was as renowned for her beauty as she was for her husky voice. One of her most famous lines is regularly paid homage to in popular culture; where she says in ‘To Have And Have Not’: “You know how to whistle, don’t you? You just put your lips together and blow.”

Industry and fan tributes continue to flow through Twitter and Facebook.  Antonino Tati