Kitty Bruce, daughter of comedy icon Lenny Bruce, died on May 13. According to friends, she went in for a routine knee-replacement and succumbed to a blood clot. She was 70 years old.
Per Variety, “On November 7, 1955, Kitty was born into a life that was anything but ordinary—From her very first days, she entered a world already in motion, complicated, loud, and very public, shaped by forces larger than most people ever encounter,” her family writes in a statement. “What is remarkable is not that she survived them, but what she chose to do because of them. She chose compassion. She chose service. She chose love.”
Born to Lenny Bruce and Harriett Bruce, aka “Hot Honey Harlow,” Brandie Kathleen “Kitty” Bruce was born into a world that was anything but ordinary, with not only parents in show business but grandparents as well. Bruce’s grandmother Sally Marr, was not only a professional dancer and comedienne but also a well know talent spotter. Notable names that Marr was instrumental in discovering included Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong.
As a baby, Bruce was the subject of a bitter custody battle between her parents, in which in a rare decision the state of California awarded custody to her father. However, due to his constant arrests for obscenity and drug problems, Bruce spent much of her upbringing with Marr and various other relatives. Her parents eventually divorced on January 21, 1957.
In a 1995 interview, Bruce reflected on the darkness cast over her childhood telling The Columbian, “The kids said, ‘My mother says I’m not allowed to talk to you because your daddy’s bad and has a filthy mouth.'”
Lenny Bruce eventually succumbed to a morphine overdose on August 3, 1966.
As a teenager Bruce tried her hand at acting, starring in the 1975 film Switchblade Sisters. After which, Bruce tried her hand at being a pop singer opening for such performers as George Carlin and Diana Ross.
However, Bruce’s true legacy came later in life. In 2008, Bruce founded The Lenny Bruce Memorial Foundation, an institution for aiding in combating drug and alcohol abuse. Per the foundation’s official website, “The primary goal is to get people going. Some people need financial assistance. If an approved program is too expensive, The Lenny Bruce Memorial Foundation scholarship program can cover many of the costs.”
Bruce also went to great lengths to preserve her father’s legacy. Not only preserving and publishing his collection of works but also writing to the governor of California to pardon his obscenity convictions. The pardon was granted in late 2003.
“I thought my father should be remembered and his legacy should be something that should change lives and make the world a better place,” Bruce told No Recess! Magazine in 2019.
Bruce was previously engaged to comedian and TV star Freddie Prinze but broke off the engagement in the mid-1970s. Prinze died in 1977, but not before marrying wife Kathy Prinze and giving birth to an even more notable son, Freddie Prinze Jr. (I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scooby-Doo).
When Amazon Prime premiered a new sitcom in 2017 entitled The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Bruce took on the role of advisor. Lenny Bruce (portrayed by Luke Kirby) was a recurring character and advisor to Midge Maisel, garnering a “special thanks” credit in the series finale when it premiered on May 26, 2023. Forty years earlier, Bruce, her mother, and grandmother had jointly advised on a biopic starring Dustin Hoffman entitled Lenny.
A celebration of life will be held for Bruce on Friday, May 29 at Adonizio Funeral Home in Pittston, Pennsylvania. A separate memorial service is due to take place in Los Angeles in Mid-July.
Photo courtesy of social media
