17 Facts About Ann Woodward

The circumstances surrounding her husband's death, which Life called "The Shooting of the Century", led to Ann Woodward becoming a cause celebre and, later, her banishment from New York high society.

Truman Capote published excerpts from an unfinished novel Answered Prayers, in which a pseudonymized but identifiable Ann Woodward is accused of murdering her husband.

Ann Woodward faced challenges throughout her life, and the exact reasons for her suicide remain unclear.

Ann Woodward attended Kansas City Junior College for one year.

In 1937, Ann Woodward moved to New York City to work as a model and actress and was signed with John Robert Powers modeling agency.

Ann Woodward had a role in Noel Coward's Set to Music.

Ann Woodward was later courted by Woodward's son, William Woodward Jr.

Ann Woodward eventually was welcomed into prominent social circles and became a leading figure in society.

Ann Woodward had two sons, William Woodward III and James Woodward, with her husband.

Ann Woodward's husband asked for a divorce in 1947, but Woodward refused.

Ann Woodward founded the Ann Eden Woodward Foundation and supported causes such as the World Wildlife Foundation, the Museum of Modern Art, WNET, New York's public television station, and the American Red Cross.

Ann Woodward immediately confessed that she had shot her husband because she thought he was a burglar.

The shooting led to Ann Woodward becoming a cause celebre in New York, and was referred to by Life as "The Shooting of the Century".

Elsie, her mother-in-law, said "I know Ann Woodward loved Billy very much and the shooting could be nothing but an accident".

Ann Woodward killed herself by taking cyanide; according to her friends, she was already suffering from severe depression.

Ann Woodward's body was discovered on October 10,1975, in her apartment on Fifth Avenue.

Ann Woodward's funeral took place at St James Episcopal Church on the Upper East Side.