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A lot of people know who Judy Garland was. She was the star of countless films, most notably “The Wizard of Oz.” But let’s discover a few things you might not know about her. She was the first cousin three times removed of US President Ulysses S. Grant. She was born Frances Gumm, but her name was changed to Judy Garland after a popular 1930’s song “Judy” and a film critic of the time, Robert Garland. She always had crooked front teeth, for which an MGM dentist fitted her with removable caps to wear in her films, including The Wizard of Oz. She had three children. Everyone knows about Liza Minnelli (Vincent Minnelli’s daughter), but few realize that Lorna and Joseph Luft were also her children. Judy Garland discouraged her children from entering show business, pointing out her financial and health problems. Nevertheless, Liza Minnelli and Lorna Luft became entertainers. Joey Luft lives in relative anonymity as a freelance photographer. Her daughter Liza Minnelli’s godparents were Ira Gershwin and Kay Thompson. Her daughter Lorna Luft’s godfather was Frank Sinatra. Judy Garland had a special variety of rose named after her. The petals are yellow (Garland adored yellow roses) and the tips are bright red. Several Judy Garland rose bushes are planted outside of her burial crypt, and at the Judy Garland museum in Grand Rapids. It was during a concert in Chelsea, London, England that Judy stumbled into her bathroom late one night and died of an overdose on June 22, 1969 at the age of 47. Liza Minnelli originally wanted Mickey Rooney to deliver Garland’s eulogy, but she was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to get through it. So James Mason (her lover) did it instead. Liza paid for her funeral, and her secret boyfriend at the time, James Mason, delivered her eulogy. Over 22,000 people filed past her open coffin in 24 hours. Afterward, her body was stored in a temporary crypt for more than a year because no one had paid to move her body to a permanent resting spot. Judy’s husband claimed he didn’t have any money. The day she died, there was a tornado in Kansas.