Vernon Castle

popular name: Irene Castle

date_of_death: 01/25/1969

age: 75

cause_of_death: Heart failure

claim_to_fame: Other Entertainers

best_know_for: Irene Castle and her husband Vernon Castle were the best known ballroom dancers of the early 20th Century. Beginning about 1914 they operated several clubs and studios in the New York City area, toured the country dancing, and were able to charge as much as a thousand dollars an hour for lessons. They are credited with reviving the popularity of modern dancing. The couple reached the peak of their popularity in Irving Berlin's first Broadway show, Watch Your Step (1914), in which they refined and popularized the Foxtrot. They also helped to promote ragtime, jazz rhythms and African-American music for dance. Irene became a fashion icon through her appearances on stage and in early movies, and both Castles were in demand as teachers and writers on dance.

popular name: The Great Lafayette

date_of_death: May 9, 1911

age: 40

cause_of_death: Theater fire

claim_to_fame: Other Entertainers

best_know_for: Sigmund Neuberger (aka The Great Lafayette) was a master illusionist and one of the most highly paid entertainers in the world in his era. Sadly, on May 9, 1911 a devastating fire broke out at the Empire Palace Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. Performing to a sell-out crowd when fire erupted on stage, with the fire safety curtain descending to the front of the stage and all the backstage exits locked to prevent freeloaders, all 3000 members of the audience escaped unharmed. However, those on stage and behind the scenes were less fortunate. The Great Lafayette perished along with 9 members of his troupe, his horse and his lion.

popular name: Adelaide Herrmann

date_of_death: February 19, 1932

age: 79

cause_of_death: Pneumonia

claim_to_fame: Other Entertainers

best_know_for: Adelaide Herrmann was a well-known American magician and vaudeville performer billed as "the Queen of Magic." She was married to Alexander Herrmann, another magician. Together, Alexander ("Professor Herrmann" or "Herrmann the Great") and Adelaide entertained audiences with a variety of magic tricks, including escape tricks and the bullet catch trick. Adelaide was a key part of many illusions, performing as a levitating sleeper, a human cannonball, a bicycle rider who carried a girl on her shoulders, and a dancer who spectrally swirled in red silk like a pillar of fire. The Herrmanns toured the United States, Mexico, South America, and Europe. Adelaide continued performing for 25 years after her husband's death, and was one of the few magicians to perform the infamous "bullet catch" trick. She was possibly the only woman magician to perform the trick at the time.