Bettie Page died today at age 85. She was one of the most popular models of the 1950's. She didn't start her modeling career until age 27 and decided to retire at age 34, when many considered her at the peak of her career.

She had a very sad upbringing. She says her family was so poor she was happy to get an orange in her Christmas stocking. Her father abused her and her parents divorced when she was ten years old. See her sad bio at WSJ today, as well as on Wikipedia.

Below is a TV interview she did in 1997. (She would not allow anyone to see her and wanted to be remembered as she looked when she was young.)