Has anyone else heard of a deceased actress called an "April Rose" ?

A long time ago (I believe it was when Lucille Ball died on April 26, 1989) was the first time I heard the reference that she was an 'April Rose' - any actress who passes away in the month of April. I believe it was a news reporter who was reporting on her death which made the reference and caught my ear (I was in my mid-20s). Over the years I have read about it on different blogs - referring to the deaths of actresses Agnes Moorehead, Dixie Carter, and Bea Arthur. It came up again just a month ago when Georgia Engle passed - someone on a blog referred to her as 'an April rose amongst us'.



Has anyone else ever heard of this phrase before? Does anyone know it's origins? I've tried Googling, but nothing comes up. (I believe once someone explained it came from Victorian times, but I'm not 100% positive).

I checked several Victorian Poets but couldn't find anything.

this was all i could find

april rose

Very intelligent ;">down to earth girl. Someone who only looks for the good in people. Someone who loves and cares for people with all she has and has the biggest heart among all. Finds difficulty in telling people no and always helps when she can. Puts others happiness before hers and will always be loyal and trustworthy. A very faithful individual who takes relationships seriously. She keeps to herself and only let's a very ;">select few into her life to ;">shield herself from hurt. Anyone who deals with her should feel very special and never take her for granted. She will always be the kind hearted person who will always love you with all she has in her.

Still can't find an origins tho.

sabrelady said: "Have one other suggestion- do you have a large library nearby? Often the librarians will be able to track a reference down when GOG ( Good Old Google) just can't' make the connections. good luck"

Thank you for the suggestion - I work in an academic library at a large university, as it happens! LOL I did ask one of my coworkers (she loves theater so she was just as intrigued) and she tried pinning down the origin with no luck (though she did come across something similar called a 'Black Rose' which was referred to a dead actress in general).

Yet your link to 'April Rose' and the definition which followed was very helpful! I'm wondering if one particular actress long ago who passed in April was described this way and all actresses who passed in April have been given the same name?



Thanks for all your help, BTW! Much appreciated.

I've never heard of this reference before. It's interesting to me that I can't find any source that refers to any of the actresses you mention as an "April rose". I'm not saying that you haven't heard the reference, I'm just saying that I can't find any source that does, or has.

My best guess is that (perhaps) someone has made a poetic reference to the lyric from "Love is a Many Splendored Thing" (it's the only common instance I'm aware of that uses that phrase):

It's the April rose that only grows in the early Spring* ...and its subsequent lyric:

Love is nature's way of giving a reason to be living ...which could be a comforting thought to friends and family.

Perhaps it's a poetic reference to our love for these women, and that these actresses are not truly gone from us, but have 'grown' into a new, eternal life.

Also, a rose that "only grows in the early Spring" is unique, so referring to them as an 'April rose' may be a way of complimenting their perfection, and emphasizing their uniqueness.

*The rose is considered to be a "perfect" flower, and also holds religious significance i.e., in the Biblical Song of Solomon, use of the rose as an icon for the Virgin Mary, etc.

Updated On: 5/16/19 at 10:59 AM

Thank you all for your responses. SO many of them make sense in different ways. I will try to find some examples on the blogs I read, but of course...when you're looking for something is when you can't find it.