Bessie Smith

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…comeback in the early 1930s when her life was tragically cut short in an automobile accident. On September 26, 1937, Bessie Smith and her lover, Richard Morgan were driving in Mississippi when their car rear-ended a truck. Bessie suffered severe injuries; her left arm was severed and her ribs were crushed. It is speculated that Bessie was denied proper medical treatment due to her skin color, being turned away from a white hospital. She died at age 43.