Lorna Luft, Broadway star and daughter of Judy Garland, will be speaker for Tidewell luncheon
Lorna Luft, Broadway star and daughter of the legendary Judy Garland, will be the keynote speaker at Tidewell Foundation’s 12th Annual Signature Luncheon. The event, scheduled for Feb. 5, will be held virtually this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She is the latest high-profile speaker to headline the luncheon, following Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert earlier this year and Olympic gold medal figure skater Scott Hamilton in 2019.
Despite their celebrity, each faced significant emotional or physical challenges in their lives that prompted them to advocate for a better life for others facing similar issues.
After battling breast cancer four times and surviving brain cancer surgery, Luft has been a dedicated philanthropist fighting for a breast cancer cure and the importance of comprehensive healthcare. She also campaigns for children’s healthcare and supports charities that provide HIV/AIDS services.
Luft speaks candidly about the challenges of mental illness and the impact on women and their children and the courage it takes to seek healing. As a caregiver for her mother, as well as for her dearest friend, who spent her final two weeks of her life in hospice and passed away last year, Luft has been touched by the fragility of life.
During her address in February, Luft can be expected to shares stories about her mother, star of “The Wizard of Oz” and “A Star is Born,” along with her final years and her untimely death at age 47 in 1969.
Luft made her show business debut at age 11, and has been a stage, film and Emmy-winning television actress. She continues to perform in the U.S. and the U.K. She is an author “Me and My Shadows: A Family Memoir” and “A Star is Born: Judy Garland and the Film that Got Away.”
The luncheon helps fund the services Tidewell provides to more than 10,000 patients annually, regardless of their ability to pay.
For more information about the luncheon, call Debbie Mason at 941-522-7658.
This story was originally published December 23, 2020 at 12:29 PM.
