Born into a poor family in Kansas Eagles ran off to join a traveling theatrical company at age 12 landed in New York remade herself became a chorine and a Ziegfeld Girl studied acting and became a sought after theatrical name As her heavy schedule which soon included silent films began to weigh on her she selfmedicated with pills alcohol and possibly harder stuff Soon after dozens of successful roles she became a Broadway superstar playing Sadie Thompson in Somerset Maughams Rain As her fame increased so did her reputation for temperamental behavior and even unreliability She died on the night of October 3 1929 aged 39 Her death was variously attributed to alcohol sleeping pills and heroin