Obituary for Tempest Storm

The death Tuesday, April 20, of 93-year-old Georgia born Tempest Storm of Las Vegas, deemed as one of the most famous burlesque stars of all time, is drawing condolences and attention from people all over America; especially in Waycross, Ga., where her brother retired Mattox Broadcasting Sales Manager Jim Miller resides.

 Known for her headline shows on the Las Vegas Strip, Tempest hails from Eastman, Ga. but her life of "radiance,'' as her admirers described her, blazed a trail for strip-tease artists for more than a half-century. A longtime friend said Storm died in her Las Vegas apartment, adding "She was the last of the great legends in the golden age of burlesque. She was perhaps the biggest of all.''

The family says Tempest will be laid to rest at Pierce Brothers Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, Calif., near close friends with whom she shared her professional career. This resting place is also the burial site for many famous entertainers, among them Burt Lancaster.

"Tempest was easily one of the best-known and highest-regarded burlesque performers of all time and was an active part of the burlesque community right to the end'' Burlesque Hall of Fame executive director Dustin Wax said. "She will be missed terribly in the Burlesque community and well beyond it.'' She was honored by being a member of the Burlesque Hall of Fame.

Born Annie Blanche, Tempest was working as a waitress in Los Angeles, Calif., when a customer suggested she should try burlesque. She began working in the chorus line at the Follies Theater in 1951 and by 1956, she had become the highest paid burlesque performer in history, making $100,000 per year. She was known as "The Queen of Exotic Dancers.''

Legally changing her name to Tempest Storm, she became a popular headliner on the Las Vegas Strip, where she continued to headline well into her 50s. Storm was an integral part of Las Vegas culture, rubbing elbows with the Rat Pack and dating Elvis Presley, (1935-1977.) She toured widely, selling out clubs nationwide and continuing to perform until 2010. Many called her "a super star lauded for six decades and one of the industry's greatest stars.''

She was credited with delivering the art of strip-tease to the masses. She shared a theater tour with the Rock band The James Gang in 1973. "Carnegie Hall was one of them,'' she said of the sites visited. "That was the greatest. What a thrill!''

Roger Ebert, nationally known entertainment reporter, interviewing Storm in 1968, once said , "Storm always said, 'The secret to a good strip-tease is to leave as much as possible to the imagination. A gentleman doesn't really want to see a performer just come out and take off her clothes. There's got to be communication, there's got to be contact. In my act, although I eventually do get down to the legal minimum, I actually put on more clothes than I take off. There's some psychology in this. A performer who can communicate a feeling of modesty is sexier than one who just strips.'''

Chronicling her life, an award winning documentary is available. Called "Tempest Storm'' it is a feature documentary that follows her life story as described, ''America's greatest exotic dancer.'' She was also featured in a HBO special some years ago called "Burlesque USA.'' Today, newspaper and television media all over the nation are reporting of her death and describing her life of entertainment and popularity in the burlesque community.

     Tempest was famously a "leap year'' baby, her family said. Annie Blanche, as she was named, was born Feb. 29, 1928, in Eastman, Ga. She was the daughter of a sharecropper, leaving school before graduation, making her way to California and working as a waitress.

In addition to her Waycross brother Jim Miller, she is survived by her daughter Patricia Jeffries of Evansville, Ind.; one grandchild, a sister and brother-in-law Gloria Jean and Ken Wise of Eastman, a sister-in-law Charlotte Miller, widow of her brother Leonard Miller Jr. of Eastman, her namesake and niece "Little Temp'' Tempest Murray and her husband William Murray of Eastman, and devoted caretaker/friend Tiffany of Las Vegas.

She was preceded in death by her parents Leonard Miller Sr. and Willie Mae Miller of Eastman, her brother Leonard Miller Jr. of Eastman; a sister-in-law Mrs. Jim (LaNelle) Miller of Waycross, two sisters Joyce Burch of Warner Robbins and Janice Wickham of Orlando, Fla.; also by nieces and nephews and other relatives.

Tempest was laid to rest beside her brother Leonard, in a private funeral ceremony surrounded by her family at Lovely Grove Baptist Church Cemetery, on Wednesday, May 12, 2021, with Mr. Stephen Whigham officiating.