LOS ANGELES (AP) – Jane Russell, the brunette who was discovered by Howard Hughes and went on to become one of the biggest stars of the 1940s and ’50s, has died at age 89.

Russell’s daughter-in-law Etta Waterfield says the actress died Monday at her home in Santa Maria of a respiratory-related illness.

Hughes, the eccentric billionaire, cast Russell in his sexy, and controversial, 1941 Western "The Outlaw," turning her into an overnight star.

She would go on to appear opposite such leading men as Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope, as well as fellow actress Marilyn Monroe.

Although her film career slowed in the 1960s, Russell remained active throughout her life.

Until her health began to decline a few weeks ago, Waterfield said she remained active singing and working for various causes.

Bernadette Peters is an actress, singer and children’s book author whose
career has spanned five decades. She starred in musical theater, films, and     
television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings. She is one of 
the most critically-acclaimed Broadway performers, having received nominations for
seven Tony Awards, winning two, and eight Drama Desk Awards, winning three. Of 
the Broadway cast albums on which she has starred, four have won Grammy Awards.

Bernadette Peters with Steve Martin in The Jerk (1979)

Justine Tanya Bateman is an actress, writer, and producer. Her television
career included a regular role as Mallory Keaton on the CBS sitcom Family
Ties from 1982 until 1989. She was nominated for two Emmy Awards and a
Golden Globe Award. Bateman currently runs a digital media production and 
consulting company called Section 5. 

Molly Kathleen Ringwald, actress, singer and dancer, has appeared in
the John Hughes movies Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club
(1985), and Pretty in Pink (1986), Ringwald has been frequently named
the greatest teen star of all time.

Rene Marie Russo is a former model turned actress. Russo made her
television series debut in 1987, with a supporting role in the ABC series
Sable.Two years later, she made her debut in film as the girlfriend of the
Tom Berenger character in Major League (1989) . Her breakthrough role
is generally considered to be her part as internal affairs detective Lorna
Cole in Lethal Weapon 3 (1992) and Lethal Weapon 4 (1998).

Rene Russo with Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon 3

Rene Russo in a scene from Major League

Rene with Clint Eastwood from the film In The Line of Fire