Adele Astaire (Lady Charles Cavendish)

September 10, 1896 — January 25, 1981

Famed dancer and Hollywood star Fred Astaire’s older sister crossed paths several times with Kathy Harriman—much to Kathy’s amusement! After a twenty-seven year career spent dancing with her brother, Adele retired and moved to Britain to marry Lord Charles Cavendish, second son of the Duke of Devonshire. Adele did her bit for the war effort, helping soldiers write letters home to their sweethearts, which Kathy profiled in her Newsweek column in a bit too much detail for Adele’s liking…And it was at Adele’s birthday party at the Dorchester Hotel that Kathy’s father and her best friend, Pamela Churchill, would have a fateful encounter.

Photograph: Wikimedia commons, public domain