Kitty Bruce, 1955 – 2026

Death Elves alert me that actress and comic scion Kitty Bruce, 70, has died after surgery for a knee replacement (so far the only confirmation I can find is on Facebook and Instagram, and I been done fooled before!). Kitty was the daughter of scandalous couple Lenny Bruce and Honey Harlow, and acted in the 1970s movies Switchblade Sisters and Andy Warhol’s aptly titled Bad. She was also a singer, opening for such acts as opening for acts such as George Carlin and Diana Ross. Bruce—like her parents—had problems with drugs, but happily, she recovered, and co-founded The Lenny Bruce Memorial Foundation, which, according to its website, “combats alcohol/drug addiction with scholarships and education, working closely with sober houses and treatment programs.” Bruce posted that “Alcoholism and drug addiction never sleeps. I decided that the best way to honor my father’s memory is not with a star on the boulevard, not with a fancy plaque, but rather I created The Lenny Bruce Memorial Foundation. I am passionate about helping people stay on the sober life path.”