CHICAGO – Iva Toguri D’Aquino, who was once accused of being World War II broadcaster Tokyo Rose, died Tuesday in Chicago at age 90, a relative said.
D’Aquino died of natural causes about 12:30 p.m. at Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital, said William Toguri, D’Aquino’s nephew.
Tokyo Rose was the name given to a female radio broadcaster responsible for anti-American transmissions intended to demoralize soldiers fighting in the Pacific theater during World War II.
D’Aquino, whose maiden name was Toguri, was born in Los Angeles on the July 4, 1916, to Japanese immigrant parents.
She was visiting relatives in Japan when she became trapped in the country at the beginning of World War II, according to a statement Tuesday from a Toguri family spokeswoman, Barbara Trembley.
D’Aquino worked odd jobs to support herself while trying to find a way out of the country, including performances on a Japanese propaganda radio show manned by Allied prisoners called “Zero Hour,” the statement said.
Using the name “Orphan Ann,” she performed comedy skits and introduced newscasts.
In 1945, she was arrested in Yokohama and accused of treason. She served six years in prison following her conviction in San Francisco in 1949.
Later, doubts about her possible role as Tokyo Rose surfaced, and in 1977 she was pardoned by President Gerald Ford.
MALIBU, Calif. – Edward Albert, who starred opposite Goldie Hawn in the 1972 comedy “Butterflies Are Free” and was the son of film and TV star Eddie Albert, has died. He was 55.
Albert died Friday from lung cancer at his home in Malibu, said Alan Silberberg, a family friend.
Born in Los Angeles in 1951, Albert made his film debut at 14. He played a runaway who comes across a disturbed Civil War veteran, played by Anthony Perkins, in the 1965 drama “The Fool Killer.”
In 1972, he appeared in “Butterflies Are Free,” playing a blind attorney who attempted to break free from his overly protective mother. The role earned him a Golden Globe as most promising male newcomer.
He is survived by his wife, actress Kate Woodville; their daughter, Thais; and his sister, Maria Zucht.
Associated Press
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