Blues Brothers actress, 95, dies trapped in home as devastating LA wildfires left ‘everything gone’
13 January 2025, 19:58
A former actress who starred in the iconic Blues Brothers films has died at the age of 95 in the horror wildfires raging through Los Angeles (LA).
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Dalyce Curry, who appeared Blues Brothers films the Ten Commandments and Lady Sings the Blues as an extra, was reportedly trapped in her Altadena home in the Eaton area while the blaze scorched her property.
She was confirmed dead on Sunday.
Her great-granddaughter, Dalyce Kelley, announced the news in a Facebook post.
She wrote: “About an hour ago the coroner confirmed her remains were found at the property.”
Ms Kelly also shared devastating footage of the damage left behind, showing her great-grandmother’s burned Cadillac and the remnants of her home that had been scorched to ashes.
Read more: Los Angeles wildfire deaths rise to 24 as more fierce winds are forecast
Ms Curry, known by family as “Momma D,” was last seen bny her great granddaughter on Tuesday night, when she was dropped off at home after a hospital trip.
Ms Kelly said she then woke up to an alert about Ms Curry’s power being being cut off. She rushed over to assess the situation by stopped by police before arriving and escorted to the house by the National Guard.
“It was total devastation,” Kelley said.
“Everything was gone except her blue Cadillac,” she added.
The wildfires sweeping through the city have destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people so far.
The National Weather Service has warned the coming days could become “particularly dangerous” due to strong wind gusts.
The most dangerous day will be Tuesday, warned fire behavior analyst Dennis Burns at a community meeting Sunday night.
State governor Gavin Newsom said the fires tearing through the city would cause the most damage in terms of "cost... scale and scope" that America has ever seen.
He said the biggest challenge over the next two days would be the winds, which fan the flames and hamper firefighters' efforts.
Newsom added that there could be "flare-ups in new places".
The most dangerous day will be on Tuesday, said weather service meteorologist Rich Thompson.
"You're going to have really strong gusty Santa Ana winds, a very dry atmosphere and still very dry brush, so we still have some very critical fire weather conditions out there," Mr Thompson added.
Newsom also said he was "worried about issues of rebuilding", issuing a fresh executive order on Sunday.
The governor added that he wants to fast-track people's ability to rebuild in terms of resources and regulations.
"One thing I won't give in to is delay. Delay is denial for people. Lives, traditions, places, torn apart, torn asunder. Families, schools, community centres," he added.
Families, schools, community centres," he added.
