JANE RUSSELL passed away at the age of 89 Monday, at her California home in Santa Maria. RUSSELL was the full-figured sex pot turned comedic actress, with her most memorable film from this writer's viewpoint being "Gentleman Prefer Blondes", where she starred opposite MARILYN MONROE.

RUSSELL was the personal project of billionaire HOWARD HUGHES, who bought and refurbished RKO Pictures as a vehicle for JANE RUSSELL. He signed her to a 20-year contract which paid her $1,000 a week, not bad coin for woman in the '50's. HUGHES so9ld RKO soon after executing the contract, but continued to pay RUSSELL for the duration.

She quit making films in the '60's, saying "I was getting too old. You couldn't go on acting in those years if you were an actress over 30." She remained in the public eye for years after as the spokeswoman for Playtex Bras-for full figured girls.

She made an occasional appearance in Hollywood. We caught up with her at the American Cinema Awards in 1996, at the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. It was a reunion of old and new Hollywood, with GREGORY PECK, BOB HOPE, LOUISE FLETCHER, ANGIE DICKINSON, KIRK DOUGLAS, SUSAN LUCCI, MORGAN FREEMAN, SIR JOHN MILLS with JULIET and HARRIET, PATRICIA NEAL, LONNIE ANDERSON and TITO JACKSON.

RUSELL also attended the gala New York wedding of LIZA MINELLI and DAVID GUEST in 2002.

In her later years she sang gospel and attended her local church regularly, where she was a fixture right up until her death.