Fay West ~ The Doomed Follies Star

Fay West

Fay West was a talented Ziegfeld Follies dancer who died tragically young.

She was born in New York City in 1904. Her parents were vaudeville performers Lillian Fitzgerald and William H. West. She attended St. Clair Academy, a boarding school for girls, in New Jersey. Fay joined the Ziegfeld Follies in the Summer of 1919. Because she was only fifteen her mother would not allow her to go on tour with the show. In 1920 she joined Ed Wynn's Carnival show She also starred on Broadway in Hitchy-Koo and Two Little Girls In Blue. The young beauty was known as a talented singer and dancer. Fay returned to the Ziegfeld Follies in 1922 and stayed for two seasons. Then she started performing with her mother in vaudeville.

Fay WestFay West

While being treated for a toothache she met Dr. John Jaffin, Flo Ziegfeld's personal dentist. They were married in Connecticut on July 28, 1926.  After the marriage Fay converted to Judaism and decided to give up her career. The couple lived in New Jersey. They separated in 1936 but remained legally married. Fay moved to an apartment on West 55th street in New York City. In August of 1938 she was taken to Mt. Sinai hospital. Tragically on August 16, 1938 she died from pelvic peritonitis, an infection of the fallopian tubes. She was only thirty-four years old. Fay was buried at Old St. Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.

Fay West Dr. John JaffinFay West Death
                  With Dr. John Jaffin                                                                                    

Fay appeared in:
Ziegfeld Follies of 1919 (Jun 16, 1919 - Dec 06, 1919)
Ziegfeld Follies of 1922 (Jun 05, 1922 - Jun 23, 1923)
Ziegfeld Follies of 1923 [Summer Edition] (Jun 25, 1923 - Sep 15, 1923)