Jenny Lee Arness: What happened to James Arness' daughter from Gunsmoke?
Jenny Lee Arness was the only daughter of actor James Arness. She had a small role on her father's Western drama series Gunsmoke as a teenager before choosing a quieter life, which ended with her death in 1975.
Source: Getty Images
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Key takeaways
- Jenny Lee Arness appeared on Gunsmoke in the mid-1960s, a classic Western series starring her father, James Arness, as Marshal Matt Dillon.
- The celebrity daughter died in 1975 at the age of 24 after taking her own life.
- Jenny's mother and James Arness' first wife, Virginia Chapman, died similarly two years later in 1977.
Jenny Lee Arness' profile summary
Full name | Jenny Lee Arness |
Date of birth | May 23, 1950 |
Place of birth | Los Angeles, California, United States |
Date of death | May 12, 1975 |
Age at death | 24 years old |
Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles |
Parents | Virginia Chapman Arness (1921-1977) James Arness (1923-2011) |
Siblings | Craig Michael Arness (1946-2004) Rolf Arness |
Jenny Lee Arness stayed with James after her parents' divorce
Jenny Lee's mother, Virginia Chapman, married actor James Arness in February 1948 after meeting during their studies at Southern California's Pasadena Playhouse. She had a son, Craig Michael, whom James adopted. Jenny was born in May 1950, and her younger brother, Rolf Arness, was born in February 1952.
Virginia and James separated in 1960 after over a decade of marriage. Their divorce was finalised in 1963, with Arness being granted legal child custody of Jenny Lee and her two brothers.
Virginia was found unfit to raise the kids after a then-12-year-old Jenny Lee was hospitalised with acute alcohol poisoning. She had reportedly allowed her to drink. Arness tried to keep the children out of the spotlight at the height of his career.
Jenny Lee and her brothers stayed in touch with Virginia Chapman. They used to visit her at her interracial California-based motel, Oasis.
Source: Original
Jenny Lee Arness had a brief acting career
A 14-year-old Jenny Lee Arness portrayed characters Laurie and Amy in two episodes of Gunsmoke in 1964, titled The Glory and the Mud (season 9, episode 14) and Aunt Thede (season 10, episode 13). The long-running CBS Western TV series made her father, James Arness, a household name with his portrayal of Marshal Matt Dillon.
Her mother, Virginia Chapman, also appeared in two 1955 episodes of Gunsmoke as Gypsy. After the mid-1960s, Jenny Lee largely withdrew from the public eye and continued her studies in Switzerland. Her two brothers remained in the spotlight for a few decades, but not as actors.
Craig became a professional photographer and established the stock photography agency Westlight. He also worked for National Geographic for over a decade.
Jenny Lee's brother, Rolf, was a professional surfer and won the 1970 World Surfing Championship at the age of 18. He retired from the sport in the late 1970s after a series of personal tragedies, including the loss of his sister, mother, and wife.
Source: Getty Images
Jenny Lee Arness died by taking her own life
James Arness' daughter, Jenny, passed away on May 12, 1975, at the age of 24. The actor had just finished his two-decade run of Gunsmoke, which aired its last episode in March 1975. Jenny Lee Arness's cause of death was determined to be a deliberate overconsumption of sleeping pills.
She was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, Los Angeles. Jenny Lee's tombstone inscription reads "Loving child of God Om Guru."
Jenny Arness' mother had a similar death two years after her passing
Jenny Lee's mother, Virginia Chapman, died on July 29, 1977, at the age of 56, at her beachfront home in Malibu, Los Angeles. She had an overconsumption of sleeping pills, which was determined to be accidental.
Virginia had struggled with mental health issues for several years, which contributed to the fall of her marriage to James Arness. She reportedly tried to take her own life twice before in 1959 and 1960.
Source: Getty Images
James Arness carried his grief quietly
James did not make any public statements following the deaths of his daughter, Jenny Lee and his ex-wife, Virginia. He experienced more loss on December 14, 2004, when his adoptive son Craig Arness passed away at the age of 58. He had been battling lung and anaemia complications.
The Gunsmoke actor lived until he was 88 years old, alongside his second wife, Janet Surtess, whom he married in 1978. He passed away on June 3, 2011, in his sleep at his home in Brentwood, California. His cause of death was ruled to be natural.
James Arness was survived by Janet, his son Rolf, and six grandchildren. The relatively private actor reportedly wrote a letter to be released posthumously, which read:
I had a wonderful life and was blessed with so many loving people and great friends. I wanted to take this time to thank all of you for the many years of being a fan of Gunsmoke, The Thing, How the West Was Won and all the other fun projects I was lucky enough to have been allowed to be a part of. I had the privilege of working with so many great actors over the years.
Source: Getty Images
Conclusion
Jenny Lee Arness' biography was a private life of personal struggles, even as her father captivated millions as the towering Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke for twenty years. Her tragic ending and that of her mother, Virginia, came at a time when mental health was still surrounded by stigma.
READ MORE: Carroll O'Connor's cause of death: 7 key facts everyone should know
Briefly.co.za highlighted facts about the late actor Carroll O'Connor. He became a household name in the 1970s with his portrayal of Archie Bunker in the CBS sitcom All in the Family.
The Emmy-winning actor passed away on June 21, 2001, at the age of 76. He was predeceased by his only son, Hugh O'Connor, who took his own life seven years earlier.
Source: Briefly News
