Actress Jane Russell Continued to Perform Until the Very End

6:41 PM PST 2/28/2011 by Bryan Alexander

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"My mom's favorite saying was 'I'm going to die in the saddle,' " her son Robert Waterfield tells The Hollywood Reporter of the actress who died at 89 Monday.

Jane Russell, who died at age 89 on Monday, continued to work in show business right up until the end.

'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' Star Jane Russell Dies

•Obituaries

While she is known to many for her classic performances in The Outlaw and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, her son Robert "Buck" Waterfield tells The Hollywood Reporter that his mother was still very active. She had just returned from a series of one-woman shows in Florida and had another appearance at her local Radisson Hotel booked where she would perform.

"She had never stopped," says Waterfield. "My mother's famous saying was 'I'm going to die in the saddle.' She stayed very active."

The one-woman show would feature Russell singing and telling stories from the old Hollywood days.

"Everyone wants to hear about those days," says Waterfield. "Especially in the days of Charlie Sheen, you want to hear about the old icons."

Russell also continued to work with her numerous charities.

The actress took ill recently and died with her family in her Santa Maria, CA. home -- surrounded by her many of her grown children, eight grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. "It was all about family at that time," says Waterfield.

Service information:

Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 11:00 a.m.
Pacific Christian Church
3435 Santa Maria Way
Santa Maria, CA 93455

Reception at 2:00 pm (location still pending)

In lieu of flowers donations may be made in Honor of Jane Russell to:

Care Net Pregnancy & Resource Center
121 W. Battles
Santa Maria, CA 93458

Or

CASA of Santa Barbara County
120 E. Jones Street, Ste. 130
Santa Maria, CA 93454
www.sbcasa.org <http://www.sbcasa.org/> (on-line donations)