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John Meyer, Judy Garland’s former lover, wasn’t surprised when the actress died in 1969 at age 47.
“John and I, and a lot of other people, were in no way surprised,” Garland historian and writer Lawrence Schulman informed Fox News Digital.
“Everyone knew it was coming,” he added. “If you look at pictures of Judy at the end of her life, she looks like someone who has come out of a concentration camp. She was so thin, so frail, so undernourished. The life was already gone in the months before she died. So, no. No one was surprised.”
John Meyer dated Judy Garland for a couple of months, however the ardour remained. (From the gathering of Lawrence Schulman.)
Meyer, a pianist and composer, died in February at age 86. Before he died, the musician developed a friendship with Schulman, and so they ceaselessly exchanged letters through the years.
John Meyer died in February of this 12 months. He was 86. (From the gathering of Lawrence Schulman.)
“He sent these very intimate thoughts to me about Judy and his reflections about Judy all these years later,” stated Schulman. “I lost a good friend.
“These letters left a mark on me,” Schulman explained. “He knew Garland for under two months in late ’68. That’s not a very long time to know any person. It takes a very long time to get to know any person. But I do know John liked Garland.
“I don’t know whether it was reciprocal. That’s an open question. I never talked about that with John because it’s not a nice thing to talk about. … But when you have a passion for somebody, it doesn’t matter whether it lasts two months, two years, or 20 years. It sticks with you. And those two months were some of the most essential moments of his life.
Judy Garland moved into the Park Avenue apartment of John Meyer’s (left) parents. (From the collection of Lawrence Schulman.)
“What was so exceptional to me was that so a few years later, the love was nonetheless there,” Schulman continued. “It was the middle of his life. … That ardour endured so many many years later. That was fascinating to me.”
Meyer was 28 years old when he met Garland, 46, at a New York City studio of a mutual friend. The attraction was instant.
But life for “The Wizard of Oz,” star, once considered Hollywood royalty, was chaotic.
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Judy Garland (1922-1969) starred as Dorothy Gale in 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz.” (MGM Studios)
“She was homeless,” Schulman explained. “For such a fantastic icon, a fantastic star to be homeless, that was very stunning. She was actually on the road. She had nothing. She had a $5 invoice in her purse. That was it. She had no cash. She couldn’t pay for meals. She couldn’t pay for a hospital. She couldn’t pay for something. She was utilizing the bunk mattress of a pal. John met her at a really low level in her life. She was hanging on at that time.
“He was trying to find someone who could keep her above water — that was John,” Schulman added.
According to People journal, Garland owed a number of million {dollars} to the IRS after her agent embezzled most of her earnings. She was divorced from husband No. 4 and had been kicked out of New York’s St. Moritz Hotel for not paying the invoice. At the time, she was residing there with her two younger youngsters. She was additionally fighting a crippling dependancy to barbiturates and amphetamines.
It didn’t take lengthy for Garland to maneuver into the Park Avenue house of Meyer’s dad and mom.
In 1968, Judy Garland was broke and struggling to search out her manner, stated writer Lawrence Schulman. (Ron Galella)
“She needed a 24-hour nurse,” stated Schulman. “She was taking pills and not well at the time. John became her lover, assistant, partner, pharmacist. She was in a terrible condition at that point, and all he wanted to do was help her. He wrote a few songs for her, and she went on to sing those songs at some talk show appearances. He helped her out. He was a lifesaver.”
The romance was passionate, and Meyer was decided to do no matter he might for Garland. According to Schulman, Meyer satisfied an area nightclub proprietor to rent Garland to sing a couple of songs for $100 money and cab fare.
“He truly loved her,” stated Schulman. “He did his best to help, but no one could save Judy Garland at that point. … She was a lost cause. … And when you were Garland’s lover, you were on call 24/7. You had to be there at all times, whether it was physically or calling her at three in the morning. … She resented you if you couldn’t be there for her 24 hours a day. And that’s why she broke things off.”
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John Meyer composed music for Judy Garland. (From the gathering of Lawrence Schulman.)
Garland was gearing as much as fly to London for a five-week live performance collection in 1969. Ten days earlier than her flight, Meyer turned in poor health with a 104-degree fever.
“That’s nothing. I’ve been on stage with 106,” Garland informed him, in line with Schulman.
Garland dropped Meyer and flew to London, the place she was joined by Mickey Deans, People journal reported. According to the outlet, he was a nightclub supervisor she’d first met when he delivered her a field of uppers. He turned husband No. 5 that 12 months.
Judy Garland with husband Mickey Deans after their marriage ceremony at Chelsea Register Office in London, circa 1969. (Central Press)
Meyer flew to London in hopes of profitable Garland again. But his efforts failed. Her response was a kiss and a “So long, Johnny.”
He by no means noticed her once more. Garland died a number of months later from a barbiturate overdose.
“Over the years, many treated Garland as a tragic figure, a star with a very sad life who married five times and died,” Schulman defined. “But the truth was, she was very happy at the end of her life. If you look at photos of her shortly before she died, she had a big smile on her face. Judy Garland liked disorder. She didn’t like a home.
“She didn’t like an bizarre life. … She was very joyful. She liked London. She was enthusiastic about being married once more, and he or she was planning for her future. There had been talks of extra concert events, even documentaries.”
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Judy Garland died in 1969. She was 47. (New York Daily News)
“That’s what John liked about Judy,” Schulman said. “She had a beautiful humorousness about all of it. She was very buoyant and joyful. She made jokes and took life evenly. It wasn’t all tragic.”
Meyer went on to put in writing a memoir, “Heartbreaker,” which was republished in 2006. In it, he detailed how “nice enjoyable” Garland was, even as she struggled during her final months.
John Meyer went on to write a memoir, “Heartbreaker.” (From the collection of Lawrence Schulman.)
Today, Schulman hopes his friend will be remembered for being a positive influence in Garland’s life.
“He was only a common man,” he said. “I used to be honored he shared such great recollections with me. He actually was a pal. I’ll miss him.”
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