The Hollywood Daily – Special Edition

In Memory Of A Legend

For an old reporter like me, it seems strange to think that most readers today don't remember when Jessica Kellerman got her start. Back in the early part of the century, no one in Hollywood had heard the name of the stunning beauty who would storm the world with her strong and stunning performances. Now, there is no corner of the earth where the mere mention of Kellerman's name isn't met with sighs of wonderment and love.

For the better part of two centuries, Hollywood has offered up the world's best entertainers, bringing them to life before our eyes on the silver screen.

Not one of those stars shown like Jessica Kellerman.

Of course, it wasn't just her extraordinary theatrical abilities that drew adoring fans to her circle. Kellerman was known to be a devout friend, an unfailingly kind co-worker, and a philanthropist on a global scale.

For all that, she kept much of her life a secret and, in later years, sought to downplay and ignore the dramatic events of her youth. However, upon the news of her death, we felt compelled to offer our loyal readers a glimpse into the real life of the one whom we will all mourn for years to come. Not just the glamourous later years we all remember, but the whole story.

Jessica Kellerman was born in a small town in rural Michigan. She grew up with her older brother, Oscar Award Nominee Jack Kellerman, on her family farm, an enterprise that had been passed down through the family for generations, but which had stopped being profitable when Big Ag took over the farming industry. By all accounts, her father was a hard man, cruel and abusive, a religious fanatic who sought to oppress any form of freedom of thought.

All her life, Kellerman praised her mother for being the light in her life. "When I was a little girl, she held my hand and told me I could have anything I wanted out of life. She said I was destined for greatness, and I never doubted for a moment that she believed that," she told a reporter in a rare moment of openness in the early days of her career.

Sadly, when the children were still in grade school, their mother vanished. It is easy to imagine that it must have been a devastating time for the children. Abandoned by the one person they trusted and left in the care of the man they most feared, the siblings had no one to turn to except each other.

Over the years, Jack and Jessica grew inseparable and the moment they were both old enough the two packed their bags for sunny LA in hopes of achieving the American dream.

It didn't take long. The movie industry knows a star when it appears, shining bright for all to see. Within two years of moving to California, Jessica Kellerman was a leading lady in her first made-for-cable movie. The part of a beautiful and troubled young woman who uses her sexuality to climb the corporate ladder was a natural fit. We all fell in love with the newcomer who had a mischievous glint in her eye, a body with absolutely no flaws, and seemingly not a single ounce of inhibition.

In those early years, the job offers came in faster than anyone could manage. Jessica Kellerman had her choice of the best films of the day, and she chose wisely. However, despite being an audience favorite, she was consistently shunned by the Academy for being "too common."

When Jessica fell in love with heartthrob, Aiden Cawthorn, we all fell in love with her and it seemed they two were on track to be the next Hollywood power couple.

Up until then, older brother Jack couldn't catch a break. He had a series of low-paying gigs building B-movie sets but seeing his little sister with America's favorite bachelor must have inspired him. After securing funding from undisclosed sources, Jack went to work on a truly epic project. No one before or since has attempted anything of similar scope. Over the course of years, he bought the entirety of his home town and covertly transformed it into the largest soundstage on earth.

Jack's vision came at the end of the popularity of so-called reality television shows. Many complained the shows of the day were nonsense and drivel, too scripted to be believable and full of unlikeable characters.

Jack's show was different. He showcased life as art. Or perhaps he used art to give life to the dreary little village of his childhood. Immediately, The Academy took notice of his efforts and when he drew his sister and her partner into the story, no one could look away.

On screen, for the whole world to see, the brother and sister sought answers about what really happened when they were too young to understand the circumstances around them, and they confronted their father for his years of abuse with many of town residents/cast members supporting them. Little did anyone know, their father, a deranged madman, had planted a bomb. He detonated the explosive, killing himself and several of the townspeople.

Sadly, both Jake and Aiden died from the injuries they sustained that day.

The total casualty count was more than two dozen.

Celebrity chef Mindy James was one of the few who escaped. "I owe my life to Jess Kellerman. She saved me from hell. She got me out of that town," she once told People magazine.

Hell, indeed.

It took half a decade for Jessica to recover from the tragedy. For nearly six months, fans speculated that she'd been among those killed, though it was impossible to know for sure, so complete was the destruction. Eventually, she made a brief statement on social media saying she'd reconnected with her long-lost mother and asking the world to respect her privacy while she came to terms with her losses.

She used her time to heal physically and mentally. As part of her therapy, she took the footage her brother had captured and released a stunning documentary—Lot 72, which she dedicated to her deceased brother. The epic three-hour film featured a town torn apart by greed, deception, and adherence to the rules of a fanatical religious cult led by one Rev. Harlan Hobbs.

Jessica's re-emergence to Hollywood society came the night of the red carpet premiere of Lot 72. Her mother, a shy beauty who walked with regal grace at her daughter's side, accompanied her and no one looking at them would have ever guessed the trauma the women had endured.

When asked if returning to her life in the spotlight was difficult, Jessica Kellerman took her mother's hand and said, "I come from a long line of women who just can't be kept down. Wait and see what we do next."