CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Blaze Starr, a burlesque star and stripper whose affair with a 1950s-era Louisiana governor gained notoriety for both parties, has died at age 83.
Starr's nephew, Earsten Spaulding, said she died Monday at her Wilsondale, West Virginia, home. He said she had experienced heart issues the past few years.
Born Fannie Belle Fleming, Starr long performed at the Two O'Clock Club in Baltimore. Her nickname was "The Hottest Blaze in Burlesque."
She famously had an affair with Louisiana Gov. Earl Long, who served in the 1940s and 1950s.
She later bought the Two O'Clock Club and migrated toward comedy acts.
Starr co-authored her autobiography in 1974. The book was adapted 15 years later into the movie "Blaze," starring Paul Newman as Earl Long and Lolita Davidovich as Starr.