Ann Crane

Cheryl Christina Crane, born in 1943, is the only child of actress Lana Turner and restaurateur Steve Crane. Her early life was marked by significant media attention when, at fourteen, she fatally stabbed her mother's abusive boyfriend, Johnny Stompanato, in a defensive act that was ruled a justifiable homicide. Following this event, Crane experienced a period of documented behavioral issues and psychiatric care. She later pursued various careers, including modeling and working in her father's Polynesian restaurant, the Luau. Crane studied restaurant management at Cornell University before transitioning to real estate in Hawaii and Palm Springs.

In 1988, Crane published her memoir, 'Detour: A Hollywood Story,' detailing her life, including the Stompanato incident and allegations of abuse by her stepfather. The book became a bestseller. She also revealed her long-held identity as a lesbian. Crane has since authored additional books, including a memoir about her mother and several mystery novels. She married her longtime partner, Joyce LeRoy, in 2014 and continued to work in real estate.

Born Cheryl Christina Crane on July 25, 1943, in Los Angeles, she was the daughter of actress Lana Turner and actor Steve Crane. Her birth was complicated by erythroblastosis fetalis. At the age of fourteen, on April 4, 1958, Crane was involved in a highly publicized incident where she stabbed and killed Johnny Stompanato, her mother's boyfriend, during a domestic dispute. This act was later deemed a justifiable homicide, as Crane was found to have been defending her mother. The aftermath saw Crane placed in a girls' school for psychiatric therapy, from which she twice escaped before being released to her mother's custody.

Following the intense scrutiny of her youth, Crane embarked on a series of career changes. She began as a model after high school, then worked at her father's restaurant, the Luau, an experience she credited with helping her overcome shyness. She pursued formal education in restaurant and hospitality management at Cornell University. In the 1980s, her focus shifted to real estate, where she established herself as a broker in Hawaii and Palm Springs, California. Crane also navigated personal challenges, including a breast cancer diagnosis in 1998, for which she underwent treatment.

Crane's writing career began in earnest with the 1988 publication of her memoir, 'Detour: A Hollywood Story.' This book brought her experiences, including the Stompanato killing and allegations of abuse by her stepfather, to public attention and became a New York Times bestseller. In 'Detour,' she also discussed coming to terms with her identity as a lesbian and her relationship with her mother regarding this aspect of her life. She later published another memoir focused on her mother and several works of fiction, primarily mystery novels.

“famous at birth and pampered silly.”

“It took the restaurant business to get me out of my shyness. To realize I could greet people in the Luau and they wouldn't bite me. A restaurant is make-believe too, you know. It's always opening night.”

“I knew from the age of 6 ... for years [my mother would] never mention it to anyone. Her friends knew that she knew, but that was it. With this book, we bit into it. Mother said to [Joyce] and me, 'Don't you realize what you are letting yourselves in for?' Then she understood this was my book not her book. One day we were on this subject (homosexuality) and she asked me, 'You mean it wasn't something I did? It wasn't environmental?' And when I said 'No,' I saw a huge weight being lifted from her.”