Dethroned Miss USA 1957, Leona Gage Passed Away
Mary Leona Gage (born 1939, Longview, Texas) won the title of Miss USA 1957 as Miss Maryland. The next day, she was stripped of her crown when it was revealed that she was married and the mother of two children. She had also lied about her age and was only 18, not 21.
During that time, the Miss USA and the Miss Universe pageants both took place in Long Beach, California, one right after the other. Leona Gage had competed in the Miss Universe preliminary and had been already announced as a semifinalist when she was dethroned as Miss USA. Her successor Miss Utah, Charlotte Sheffield failed to qualify for semi-finals because she did not take part in the preliminary judging. The vacant spot in the semi-finals was given to Miss Argentina, Monica Lamas.
When news of Leona Gage's marriage broke, she worked with numerous television appearances. She revealed at a press conference that she had also been married once before. Her first marriage, at age 14, was annulled after a week. Her subsequent appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show was one of CBS's highest rated shows at the time.
Leona Gage went to Las Vegas as a featured showgirl at the Hotel Tropicana. An attempt at an acting career failed, and she enrolled at hairdressing school. She performed in night clubs, worked as a model, and did television commercials. She later on married six times.
Leona Gage, who sufferred for over a decade with a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, died at the age of 71 on October 5 in the state of Maryland, where she lived on. She had five children, three of whom survived her.
During that time, the Miss USA and the Miss Universe pageants both took place in Long Beach, California, one right after the other. Leona Gage had competed in the Miss Universe preliminary and had been already announced as a semifinalist when she was dethroned as Miss USA. Her successor Miss Utah, Charlotte Sheffield failed to qualify for semi-finals because she did not take part in the preliminary judging. The vacant spot in the semi-finals was given to Miss Argentina, Monica Lamas.
When news of Leona Gage's marriage broke, she worked with numerous television appearances. She revealed at a press conference that she had also been married once before. Her first marriage, at age 14, was annulled after a week. Her subsequent appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show was one of CBS's highest rated shows at the time.
Leona Gage went to Las Vegas as a featured showgirl at the Hotel Tropicana. An attempt at an acting career failed, and she enrolled at hairdressing school. She performed in night clubs, worked as a model, and did television commercials. She later on married six times.
Leona Gage, who sufferred for over a decade with a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, died at the age of 71 on October 5 in the state of Maryland, where she lived on. She had five children, three of whom survived her.
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