The truth behind Jayne Mansfield’s demise is more shocking and sorrowful than any rumors could invent.
Jayne Mansfield, a renowned blonde bombshell actress, perished instantly on June 29, 1967, when the car she was traveling in collided with a trailer truck on U.S. Route 90 east of New Orleans, Louisiana.
In June 1967, while performing at Biloxi, Mississippi’s Gus Stevens Supper Club, Mansfield stayed at the Cabana Courtyard Apartments.
Mansfield delivered two nightly performances, at 9 and 11 p.m., advertised as ‘The Most Publicized S*x Queen’ and Movie Star with Bob Sweeney ‘The Schoolmaster who masters in humor.’
Following an evening performance on June 28th, Mansfield departed at 2:30 am for an early morning interview on a New Orleans TV show.
When and How Did the Accident Occur?
A semi-truck collided with the car carrying Jane Mansfield and three of her children, including actress Mariska Hargitay, on a dark Louisiana highway around 2 am on June 29, 1967.
The actress needed to reach New Orleans for a television appearance scheduled for the next day after performing at a nightclub in Biloxi.
Mansfield sat in the front with her boyfriend Samuel S. Brody and the driver, Ronald B. Harrison. Her three children slept in the backseat.
A nearby machine emitting thick fog for mosquito control likely hindered Harrison’s visibility of the truck until it was too late.
The three individuals in the front seat perished instantly due to the collision, which tore off the top of Mansfield’s car.
Mansfield’s three children, discovered alive in the backseat when police arrived, were the only survivors. Along with Mansfield’s dog, the three adults in the front seats died instantly from the collision.
Photos of the scene revealed that the roof and trailer of the car were almost completely sheared off.
The top of the Buick Electra was severed when it slid under the trailer after colliding with the truck.
Revealing Jayne Mansfield’s Cause of Death
Police declared the actress dead at the scene.
As news of the dreadful accident spread, speculations arose that Jaynes Mansfield had been decapitated in the crash.
Public release of Jayne Mansfield’s death images following the tragedy fueled the speculations.
In other photos, it appeared as though her head had been severed as her wig was thrown from the car.
Police stated that Mansfield’s death was horrific and instantaneous.
According to the police report after the accident, the upper part of this Caucasian woman’s head was severed.
Her death certificate indicated a scalping injury rather than complete decapitation, with her head crushed and her skull partially separated.
The decapitation story is still recounted and was even included in the 1996 film *Crash*.
The speculation that the curse placed by Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey on her boyfriend, Brody, led to Mansfield’s death, is still in circulation, but remains unproven.
This rumor lingers, in part due to the 2017 film *Mansfield 66/67*.
Jayne Mansfield’s Funeral
Mansfield’s funeral took place on July 3 in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania.
Charles Montgomery, a pastor of the Zion Methodist Church, presided over the service. The Pullis Funeral Home chapel hosted a private funeral service.
A Methodist minister officiated her funeral. Mickey Hargitay, her only ex-husband in attendance, was present. Mansfield was laid to rest next to her father, Herbert Palmer, in the Fairview Cemetery southeast of Pen Argyl.
Who Was Jayne Mansfield?
Jayne, born on April 19, 1933, under the astrological sign of Aries, was the daughter of English and German-ancestry Herbert William Palmer and English and Cornish-ancestry Vera Jeffrey (née Palmer) Palmer.
Her father, Robert B. Meyner, the future governor of New Jersey, practiced law in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, where she spent her early years.
Her father suffered a heart attack and passed away in 1936.
As a teenager, Jayne studied German and Spanish and took piano, violin, and viola classes.
After completing high school, she pursued acting studies at Southern Methodist University and the University of Texas in Austin.
Upon returning to Dallas, Mansfield studied acting under Baruch Lumet, who played a pivotal role in securing her first film audition in 1954.
Jayne’s Acting Career
American actress and singer Jayne Mansfield graced the stage, silver screen, and television as an actress.
She was also a vocalist, a nightclub performer, and an early “Playboy” Playmate.
She was the first significant American actress to have a leading role in a Hollywood film while nude.
Regarded as a prominent Hollywood s*x symbol during the 1950s and 1960s, Mansfield amassed over 30 acting credits.
Jayne’s Three Marriages
Jayne had five children from her three marriages, all of which ended in divorce.
Several men, including Robert and John F. Kennedy, her attorney Samuel S. Brody, and Las Vegas performer Nelson Sardelli, were romantically linked to her at some point in her life.
At 17, Jayne married Paul Mansfield on May 6, 1950. Their daughter Jayne Marie was born on November 8, 1950.
Three years after their separation, Jayne and Paul divorced at the beginning of 1953.
On January 13 of that year, Mansfield married Mickey Hargitay, a bodybuilder, actor, and former Mr. Universe who proposed to her in November 1957 with a 10-carat diamond ring.
Mickey Jr., Zoltan, and Mariska were Mansfield and Hargitay’s children.
Mansfield wed filmmaker Matt Cimber on September 24, 1964, but filed for divorce in July 1966. The couple had a son named Tony. Around that time, Jayne began residing with Sam Brody, her attorney, who was then married to Beverly Brody.
In her divorce petition, Beverly listed Jayne as the “41st other lady” in Brody’s life.
What Was Jayne Mansfield’s Net Worth?
At the time of her passing in 1967, Jayne Mansfield, an American actress and singer, had a net worth of $2 million.
