Babe Paley Before Accident: How Was She?

Before the tragic car accident in 1934, Babe Paley, the beloved American magazine editor and socialite, had made significant contributions to fashion and publishing. Let’s learn about it!

Affectionately known as “Babe” by friends and the public alike, she carved out a unique niche blending sartorial savvy with literary instincts over her decorated career.

But before rising to editing prominence, Babe enjoyed a gilded youth as one-third of the celebrated “Fabulous Cushing Sisters” debutante trio, alongside siblings Minnie and Betsey.

Their striking fashion and elite, fun-loving mystique captured widespread public fascination in high society circles.

After marriages, first to sportsman Stanley G. Mortimer Jr. and then to the founder of media giant CBS, William S. Paley, Babe continued to make a bold name for herself.

With poise and influence, she found publishing success in magazines like Vogue and was inducted into the International Best Dressed List’s Hall of Fame for her timeless, glamorous style.

Between family fortune, high-powered unions, and later professional accomplishments, Babe lived life at the apex of American society and culture, which few others could match.

Babe Paley Before Accident: How Was She?

Babe Paley was the picture of elegance and an icon of style before her disfiguring 1934 car accident.

Known as much for her beauty and meticulously polished image as her social status, the fashionable Paley set an impeccable standard for cosmopolitan women of the 1930s.

Her delicate grooming, from her coiffeur to her custom wardrobe to her picture-perfect poise, earned her renown and envy in equal measure in New York’s elite circles.

Babe Paley Before Accident — Babe Paley was considered the arbiter of chic, with Paley’s “blessing” sparking mass demand for everything from fashion to furniture to fragrances. (source: WWD)

Even the devastation of jaw reconstruction and dental work following the accident could not overshadow her influence.

Though lesser mortals may have withered, Babe eventually rebounded with her second marriage to William Paley.

She reclaimed her social standing and proceeded to dominate haute couture trends for decades.

Friend and foe alike continued vying for the elegant tastemaker’s praise up until her death.

Before the accident and after, it seemed everyone craved Babe Paley’s glittering smile and approval.

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Babe Paley Passed Away At 63

Barbara “Babe” Paley, the iconic socialite and fashion icon, passed away in 1978 at the age of 63 after a brave battle with lung cancer.

Though she lived a glamorous life in the public eye as the wife of CBS chairman William Paley, her final years were marked by health struggles and personal turbulence.

Despite undergoing chemotherapy, Babe Paley succumbed to lung cancer just a day after her 63rd birthday on July 6, 1978.

In her final months, she displayed courage and grace even as cancer took its toll.

While the end of her life was difficult, Babe Paley remains a legend for her style, elegance, and status as a leading figure of high society in the 20th century.

Though she faced challenges from her husband’s affairs to fallouts with close friends, Babe Paley’s legacy lives on as an embodiment of sophistication.

After a private funeral arranged by Babe herself, she was laid to rest, having passed away after a battle with lung cancer in 1978.

Babe Paley family details

Babe Paley was born Barbara Cushing in 1915 to renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Harvey Cushing and socialite Katharine Cushing.

Her pedigree as part of the influential Cushing family set the stage for her entrance into elite social circles. In 1947, Babe married CBS Chairman William S. Paley.

Though their high society life exuded glamour, their marriage faced troubles, including infidelity.

Babe and William had two children: Amanda Mortimer in 1949 and William Cushing Paley in 1950.

Babe also helped raise William’s two children from a previous marriage, Jeffrey and Hilary.

However, Babe’s relationship with her children was strained at times.

Her daughter Kate had a distant and difficult dynamic with her mother.

While the Paley family appeared picture perfect, behind closed doors they faced complexities and dysfunctions reflecting the pressures of high society.

Babe Paley’s family life was marked by the challenges of a troubled marriage, difficult relationships with her children, and maintaining appearances as part of an influential family known for wealth and status.