With its close relation to some symptoms of Parkinsons disease it is important to be able to recognise the differences between the two conditions. How did Katharine Hepburn change the world? Hepburn, who had been in declining health in recent . She was one of six children (three of each gender) born to a socially prominent, well-to-do, activist family. History reports that she died in her home in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, from natural causes. (Hepburn had divorced her husband of six years, Ludlow Ogden Smith, in 1934.) Live About reports that after Hepburn graduated college, she focused on a career in acting. Despite her early success, reviewers in those days sometimes found her strident and mannered. Katharine Hepburn spoke candidly of her "queer" feelings about outlasting her great Hollywood contemporaries in her last ever interview, published for the first time in today's Independent on Sunday. ", Asked if an ornamental goose on a shelf is the same one that appeared in a photograph with Tracy, she exclaims: "Yes and I gave it to him! Beyond her reputation as a talented but feisty actor, Hepburn was one-half of a controversial celebrity love affair. Ultimately, this changed the trajectory of her life. David Teather in New York. Such ease together in front of the camera often had fans assuming Hepburn and Tracy were simply playing themselves. I loved [him]. | Source: Getty Images Soon after dipping her foot in the acting world, she met Spencer Tracy. Parkinsons is much less common in comparison to an essential tremor and other crucial differences between the two conditions include: Despite these key differences, if you or someone you know develops a tremor and is unsure why it is advised they seek medical advice. In Long Days Journey into Night (1962), an adaptation of Eugene ONeills acclaimed play, Hepburn was cast as a drug-addicted mother. Rather, he added, it was "a matter of understanding and acknowledging each other's boundaries.". Anytime I hear a man say he prefers a woman in a skirt, I say: `Try one. Additionally, McFadden was bequeathed furniture and art from Hepburn. Many of her early films are now regarded as classics. Miss Hepburn's age gave the role the trappings of a farewell to movies, but if she moved more slowly than before, in demeanor she was as game and modern as she had ever been, even venturing an unprintable line about ducks. I was rather moved by the test, although the performance wasn't that good. After calling his brother with the news, Hepburn called his wife. Shortly after Tom's death in 1921, another of her father's brothers, Dr. Sewell Hepburn, closed the door of his garage, sat in the driver's seat with the engine running and died of asphyxiation. Lastly, Hepburn requested that her homes in Connecticut and New York be sold and the profits given to her sister, Margaret, her brother, Robert, and the families of her deceased brothers Richard and Marion. Through most of her career, Miss Hepburn had a reputation for being private and elusive with the press. Her 12 Academy Award nominations also set a record, which stood until 2003, when it was broken by Meryl Streep. Katharine Hepburn died on June 29, 2003, at the age of 96 in the same house in which she had grown up. She died at age 63 of a very rare cancer of her appendix. Katharine Hepburn's death was caused by cardiac arrest. But after the death of Tracy's wife, Louise, in 1983, Miss Hepburn felt free to discuss the love affair. earned Hepburn her second of what would be her four Academy Awards (per Britannica). A forthright woman in Hollywood who appeared to require nothing from men, Hepburn was often labeled a lesbian; while Tracys alleged yet hidden homosexuality was presented as another factor contributing to his depression and alcoholism. Her mother, Katharine Houghton, was a suffragist and a strong advocate of birth control. However, in the years leading up to her death many noticed that the stars head would continuously shake, something that was assumed to be Parkinsons disease. He and Miss Hepburn lived together for 27 years, until his death in 1967, and made nine films together. Miss Hepburn won three more, for "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," "The Lion in Winter" and "On Golden Pond," but never showed up to collect any of them. Katharine Hepburn was 5'7" 1/2. ", The interview, published in full in The Sunday Review, also touches on Hepburn's relationship with her parents, who were political activists campaigning for women's rights and birth control. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. Katharine Hepburn, 96, an actress of breathtaking talent and unsurpassed durability who in a career that spanned more than five decades became one of the most acclaimed figures in American. The Hepburns made sure to educate their children about important political and social subjects and sports. What is Katharine Hepburn best known for? In actuality the star suffered from an essential tremor which is defined by Johns Hopkins Medicine as a neurological condition that causes your hands to shake rhythmically.. It's never your fault. At the conclusion of "All About Me," her own television biography, she said: "In some ways I've lived my life as a man, made my own decisions. She was dismissed from more than one play when she was starting out, but she retained supreme self-confidence. According to TCM, Katharine Hepburn died on June 29, 2003 at the age of 96. She won an Academy Award for her role as Eva Lovelace, the naive aspiring actress who learns a tough lesson about survival, in the 1933 film "Morning Glory," only her third movie. In old age she was a familiar figure with her hair, gradually changing from auburn to gray, always in a topknot and her boyish figure always in the trousers that she helped to make fashionable. Katharine Martha Houghton Hepburn was born on February 2nd, 1878, in Buffalo, New York, to Alfred Houghton and Caroline Garlinghouse. For years she had said she was two years younger and had given her birthday as Nov. 8. In her will, Hepburn directed that her remains be cremated and that her ashes be interred in a family plot at a Hartford cemetery. They were not in the bed department at all, according to Scotty Bowers, an ex-hustler and male madam to the stars of old Hollywood. Katharine Hepburn's Death - Cause and Date Born (Birthday) May 12, 1907 Death Date June 29, 2003 Age of Death 96 years Cause of Death Cardiac Arrest Profession Movie Actress The movie actress Katharine Hepburn died at the age of 96. They were merely friends. Katharine Hepburn: The star passed away aged 96 back in 2003 (Image: Getty) It is important to note that many suffer from a trembling disorder where movements are so small they cannot be seen. Eventually, Hepburn was accepted into Bryn Mawr College and discovered acting. His health deteriorated badly over the last few years of his life and he was nursed devotedly by Katharine Hepburn. Hepburn once said, I think Howard could understand me better than he could understand himself. Though an open secret in and around Hollywood, the relationship was kept under wraps by the studio system. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. In 1932, she starred in her first onscreen role in "A Bill of Divorcement." As such, she directed the executors to "consult with publishers, editors, literary agents" to determine "the advisability of publishing such literary works.". Hepburn refused to work with John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn: The star suffered from a tremor most people thought was Parkinson's, Jane Fonda says 'competitive' Katharine Hepburn 'didn't like' her, Rob Mallard: The Corrie star's 'uncontrollable' health condition, Parkinsons disease symptoms: Early indications of the condition, Essential tremors cause an individuals head, hands and other body parts to shake uncontrollably, Hair loss: Three hair-care habits found to be responsible for permanent hair loss, Diabetes: The anti-diabetic supplement shown to slash blood sugar levels by 36% in minutes, Joanna Lumley health: 'I'm never ill' - star's health secret she has followed for 40-years, Stroke symptoms: Condition may trigger essential tremor, Magic three-hour treatment brings hope for tremor sufferers, Casualty actor Derek Thompson on his 'murderous' condition, Tremors occur when you move and are less noticeable when you rest, Certain medicines, caffeine or stress can make your tremors worse, Tremors may improve with ingestion of a small amount of alcohol (such as wine). Here's Who Inherited Katharine Hepburn's Money After She Died. In "Me," Miss Hepburn finally revealed her age. Katherine Hepburn holds the record for most Academy Awards (Oscars) won (4), having been nominated for 12 (a record until 2003, broken by Meryl Streep). Treadwell took care of their son full time. Published on August 16, 2017 08:00 AM. However, Hepburns much-publicized return to Broadway, in The Lake (1933), proved to be a flop. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. The cancer spread into the lining of her small intestine. He died from a heart attack in 1967, aged 66 years. Also the tremor can vary in . But let's face it: it's how you live that really counts. For an individual who has a close relative that suffers from an essential tremor, there is a 50 percent likelihood that a child will inherit the gene responsible for the condition. Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 - June 29, 2003) was an American actress. An early separation would end in reconciliation, but Tracy would continue to live much of his life in hotels and rented residences away from his wife and family. O L D S A Y B R O O K, Conn. Oct. 20, 2000 -- Richard Hepburn, a playwright and the younger brother of actress Katharine Hepburn, has died, his family said Friday. Ha! Hepburn also left $10,000 to Christ Church, I.U., a tiny brick church in eastern Maryland where her grandfather, Sewell Hepburn, served as a minister. In fact, in 1928 she married Ludlow Ogden Smith, a member of a wealthy Pennsylvania family. 1932). The star, who died last week at the age of 96, told of the strange experience of living a quarter of a century beyond her long-time lover, Spencer Tracy, and more than 40 years beyond Humphrey Bogart, her co-star in The African Queen. They made nine films together. Katharine Hepburn, in full Katharine Houghton Hepburn, (born May 12, 1907, Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.died June 29, 2003, Old Saybrook, Connecticut), indomitable American stage and film actress, known as a spirited performer with a touch of eccentricity. Onscreen their chemistry was undeniable, and audiences flocked to their films to witness the staccato, quick-witted bantering and long, meaningful looks that spoke more than any lines of dialogue could represent. Her personal belongings--furniture, jewelry, clothing, cars, artwork, etc.--will be distributed to family, friends, and charitable organizations (or possibly sold) at the discretion of her executors, though Hepburn's will requests that they "be guided by my wishes which I may have made known to them from time to time." In addition, Hepburn appeared frequently on television in the 1970s and 80s. Propanolol and primidone are two of the medicines often prescribed to treat essential tremor. Over time her screen presence softened and became more likable; meanwhile, society was catching up to her willful, independent style. Hepburn specified that $10,000 was to be given to Actors Fund of America, the Motion Picture and Television Fund, and a church in Maryland. Tracy, a devout Catholic, was married and refused to divorce his wife due to his religious beliefs. Tracy was unhappily married and the father of two when they met, and he remained married until the end of his life. Their chemistry would be captured in eight more films including Keeper of the Flame (1942), Adams Rib (1949), Pat and Mike (1952), Desk Set (1957) and their final appearance together in Guess Whos Coming to Dinner (1967). Hepburn thought it was a cheap move and got angry with Cary Grant, her co-star, for inviting Hughes onto the . Philip Barry wrote the play "The Philadelphia Story" for her, modeling his heroine, Tracy Lord, on Miss Hepburn. ", Katharine Hepburn, Spirited Actress, Dies at 96, https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/29/obituaries/katharine-hepburn-spirited-actress-dies-at-96.html. She chose her friend George Cukor to direct. Hepburn had been married previously to Pennsylvania businessman Ludlow Ogden Smith but had divorced in 1934. Critically acclaimed actress Katharine Hepburn was known for her abrasive attitude and for her classic films such as "The African Queen" (via Biography). She immediately made him change his name to S. Ogden Ludlow, partly because she didn't want to be known as Kate Smith. She became an outspoken proponent of liberated women's fashions and. Perhaps it was because it was a passionate age for me.. His hand and his head shook. Audrey Hepburn divorced her first husband, Mel Ferrer, in 1968 after 14 years of marriage. Katharine Hepburn, the actress whose independent life and strong-willed movie characters made her a role model for generations of women and a beloved heroine to filmgoers for more than 60 years, died yesterday at her home in the Fenwick section of Old Saybrook, Conn. She was 96 and also had a home in Manhattan. Playing a tough, determined actress in "Stage Door" (1937), she read a line from a play "The calla lilies are in bloom again" that became the all-time favorite of Hepburn impersonators. Of Tracy, with whom she had a 25-year affair, she wrote: "I would have done anything for him. Despite winning an Academy Award for her performance in Morning Glory (1933) and sparkling in the screwball comedy Bringing Up Baby (1938), Katharine Hepburn had a reputation as box-office poison until she jump-started her film career with the commercially and critically successful comedy The Philadelphia Story (1940). Katharine Hepburn was born in Connecticut in 1907 to a doctor father and a feminist mother. OLD SAYBROOK -- Katharine Hepburn's hometown became the postal capital of the nation today. Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born in Hartford in 1907. He was 94. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Hepburn, who had been in ill health for some years, passed . ". However, most patients are able to tolerate the side effects, and studies have shown that 60 percent to 100 percent of patients respond positively. For many, the late actress Katherine Hepburn provided an indelible public image of essential tremor. The film was devised to show off Miss Hepburn's well-cultivated athletic ability. Unlike other female movie stars, Hepburn was unconcerned with publicity and chose to wear pants instead of dresses. Throughout her career, she returned to the stage periodically. Howard was the most purely passionate relationship of my life. I would have done anything for him. Lauren Bacall, who with her husband Humphrey Bogart were close friends with the couple, once wrote Hepburn was blindingly in love with Tracy. She also requested that no funeral or memorial service be held. She made "Holiday," another classic romantic comedy with Grant, in which she was another high-spirited socialite. She ate a lot of fruits and vegetables and avoided processed foods. Were Audrey Hepburn and Katharine Hepburn Related? That was the birthday of her older brother, Tom, who died at 16. Katharine Hepburn, the famously gravel voiced, feisty and stylish actress, died last night at the age of 96. Tracy died just 17 days after they had finished filming it. Hepburn's memorabilia collections--her four Oscars, costumes, scripts, photos, and scrapbooks--will be given to a "charitable organization" to be selected by her executors. In her will, Hepburn also specified that she did not want a funeral. She went to Louis B. Mayer, the head of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio, and sold him the property on the condition that she play the lead. According to TCM, Katharine Hepburn died on June 29, 2003 at the age of 96. According to her last will & testament(posted at Living Trust Network), she gave her housekeeper, Norah Considine Moore, $100,000; her accountant, Erik Hanson, $50,000; and her literary agent, Freya Manston, $5,000. In 1938 she appeared on a list of actors labeled "box-office poison" in a poll of movie exhibitors. It is the tremors that are more noticeable that are classified as an essential tremor. Moreover, Hepburn never had any children (via Showbiz Cheatsheet). Their last film together, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" Can you tell which is which?" She wore pants, sure, but almost every woman does that nowadays, at least once in a while. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. But Parkinsons is a devastating disease, mine is just an irritation.. Here is all you want to know, and more! When it was fashionable for women to wear trousers, Katherine Hepburn was the first to do so. Alternate titles: Katharine Houghton Hepburn. Furthermore, her nephew and grandniece inherited $100,000. Hepburn's career spanned more than 60 years and included such classics as The African Queen, The Philadelphia Story, and On Golden Pond. The success of "Woman of the Year" (1942) and the stars' off-screen relationship led to other Tracy and Hepburn films that followed a similar pattern. In a July 7 court application, McFadden, one of Hepburn's executors, estimated that the star's personal property was worth $800,000 and valued the "gross taxable estate" at $10 million. According to Stacker, while living in Nazi-occupied Holland, she helped the Dutch resistance by delivering messages and giving dance performances. "Woman of the Year," "Adam's Rib" and "Pat and Mike" are typically bright and biting Tracy-Hepburn collaborations. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. Hepburn once again became a Hollywood darling. Here a GP may refer you to a specialist for further tests or monitor the tremor themselves to make sure it does not get progressively worse. Information about the death of Katharine Hepburn; Cause of death: Cardiac Arrest: Age of death: 96 years: Profession: Movie Actress: Birthday: May 12, 1907: Death date: June 29, 2003: Place of death: N/A: Place of burial: N/A: During that time, hed fly in (he was an aviator) for visits or let her stay at his sprawling mansion when she traveled to Hollywood for filming. ", Her performances in all three of these plays were received with dazzling praise; the works themselves were treated more harshly. The actress signed a. People have misunderstood it because they assume it is Parkinsons. In "Adam's Rib" (1949), they are married, opposing lawyers, both nicknamed Pinky. For most of her life, the public thought she had never married. In 1933 she returned to Broadway in a spectacular failure, "The Lake," which inspired Dorothy Parker to write her famous aphorism, "She ran the gamut of emotion from A to B. The town house they bought together in the Turtle Bay section of Manhattan was Miss Hepburn's home until the end of her life (along with the family home on the Connecticut River, to which she returned often). When Treadwell received the call, she said to Hepburn, I thought you were only a rumor. Treadwell came to meet the coroner and the media was told Hepburn showed up hours later, after the body was gone.. Katharine Hepburn's diet was famously healthy and she was known for her love of spinach. Miss Hepburn often said Tracy was the best actor she had ever known and compared him in complimentary terms to a baked potato: solid, substantial stuff. She became known all over the world for her independence, sharp intelligence, and acting ability. She was 63 years old and had undergone . View Complete Answer Who inherited Audrey Hepburn's wealth? She introduced into her roles a strength of character previously considered to be undesirable in Hollywood leading ladies. Speaking openly about their relationship at last, she read a letter she had written to him, which she later included in her autobiography. Britannica writes that she was born and raised in Connecticut. She added, laughing, "Sometimes I wonder myself.". Hepburn was the daughter of a respected Hartford, Connecticut surgeon and suffragist mother. "After all, it kills you." QUICK FACTS Name: Katharine. Late in life, she laughingly said of her younger self, "I am terribly afraid I just assumed I'd be famous.". One of her most enduring films without Tracy was "The African Queen" (1952), in which she played the straitlaced Rosie opposite Humphrey Bogart for the director John Huston. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 - June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Life is hard. She played sharp-witted, sophisticated women with an ease that suggested that there was a thin line between the movie role and the off-screen personality. I liked to wait on him, listen to him, feed him, work for him. She never lost control of her career again. He became the love of her life. The Smoking Gun explains that in a will signed in 1992, Hepburn bequeathed her fortune and assets to her employees, her family, and charity. "Dick" Hepburn . While filming Woman of the Year in 1942, she began an enduring intimate relationship with her costar, Spencer Tracy, with whom she would appear in films such as Adams Rib (1949) and Pat and Mike (1952); both were directed by Cukor. She played a free-spirited heiress in "Bringing Up Baby" (1938), opposite Cary Grant and a leopard. A lot of people think that she died of colon cancer as it is often mistakenly called. Katharine Hepburn died on June 29, 2003 at the age of 96. And in "On Golden Pond" (1981) she starred opposite Henry Fonda as a feisty older woman coping with her husband's failing memory and insisting that they should go on and live life to the fullest. What was Katharine Hepburns early life like? Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn had a love that was considered legendary, but Tracy was married to someone else the entire time they were together. "He had a big affair with Ingrid Bergman, and Hepburn told me she wasn't fond of Bergman at all," Christopher says. She also credited her husband with helping her get started in her career. Theyd hold hands and talk and everybody left them alone in their little private world.. She appeared in "The Millionairess," by George Bernard Shaw, on Broadway in 1952. Hepburn quickly became a full-fledged star and by 1933, she had won her first Academy Award for her role in "Morning Glory." "He's meat and potatoes, meat and potatoes," she would say. In a sad turn, Tracy died on June 10, 1967, six months before the movie's release and just two days before the Supreme Court legalized interracial marriage in the landmark Loving v. Virginia. Katharine Hepburn did not attend his funeral out of respect for his family. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. It's very queer. She continued: "He was an angel. Rumors about Hepburns and Tracys sexual orientation would circulate during their lives and continue to fuel media reports long after their deaths. The romantic comedy "The Philadelphia Story" and the screwball classic "Bringing Up Baby" were among her best, most typical roles. And my head shakes. . 1924), and a daughter Susie (b. Audrey Hepburn, the actress who epitomized Hollywood chic in the 1950's and 60's, died yesterday at her home in Tolochenaz, near Lausanne, Switzerland. Per Britannica, she was on a Hollywood hot streak but that quickly changed in the mid- to late-1930s. She got Cary Grant as her former husband, James Stewart as the reporter, and a hit movie. She was one of the most prolific and celebrated actresses of her generation, winning four Academy Awards for Best Actress. Katharine Hepburn has also developed a posthumous reputation for being a bit of a forward-thinking sexual libertine. However, they neither married nor made their romance public. Playing Warren Beatty's wise old aunt, she gave advice to the woman he loved, played by Annette Bening. ", Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. The show was a success and she subsequently purchased the story's film rights. An encouraged scholar and fiercely independent free-thinker from an early age, one childhood summer she cut her hair short and insisted on being called Jimmy. Tracy was born into a devout Catholic family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, his father a truck salesman. After a series of flops, including the now iconic "Bringing up Baby," co-starring Cary Grant, Hepburn was labeled "box office poison." Tracy was 41-years-old, Hepburn was 34 and said of the meeting she knew right away that [she] found him irresistible.. A strict Catholic, divorce was not and would never be an option for Tracy, who remained married to his wife throughout his life. In later years she expressed regret at the way she had treated her husband. Her mother, Katharine Martha Houghton, was a great supporter of women's rights issues including the right to birth control. Click here to view a copy of Hepburn's will, which she signed in January 1992. Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder that happens when nerve cells in the brain don't produce enough dopamine. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. I think I'm a success, but I had every advantage; I should have been.". But the question remains as to whether or not Katharine Hepburn did believe the house she occupied, located at 2320 Bowmont Drive not 2350was haunted. Many said she had suffered from Parkinson's Disease which she maintained was not the case. Her versatility lasted well into her career. They fell in love, despite the fact that Tracy was married, and they remained together until Tracy's death in 1967. Once Katharine Hepburn entered the film world, she was paired with a number of leading men, including Cary Grant and Spencer Tracy. Her life and career were dominated by her love affair with Spencer Tracy, which created one of the great romantic legends and brilliant movie pairings of their day. Co-starring Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart, the MGM film adaptation was released in 1940. Over the years she was nominated for a dozen Oscars, more than any other actress, a record unbeaten until Meryl Streep received her 13th this year. The actor explained it didnt feel appropriate for her to attend Tracys funeral as she wasnt his wife. Parkinson's tends to progress over time and may shorten the patient's life span. She also told Walters that she never watched their final film (Guess Whos Coming to Dinner) because The memories were too painful. Hepburn also kept the cup that cracked on the kitchen floor. Hepburn won a second Academy Award for Guess Whos Coming to Dinner (1967), a dramedy about interracial marriage; a third for The Lion in Winter (1968), in which she played Eleanor of Aquitaine; and an unprecedented fourth Oscar for On Golden Pond (1981), about long-married New Englanders (Hepburn and Henry Fonda). They were rarely seen in public together, their separate homes helping to ensure Tracys wife would be protected, along with the interests of gossip-adverse studio heads fearful of audience backlash over the apparent infidelity that was in breach of the morality clauses big stars of the era were forced to sign. Katharine Hepburn, who was one of the most well-known and beloved actresses of all time, died at the age of 63 on May 6, 1993, after a long battle with ovarian cancer. tags: change , life , self. Of course, I have an angular face, an angular body and, I suppose, an angular personality, which jabs into people.". It's amazing how many of them have died, isn't it?" Here is all you want to know, and more! According to the book, I Know Where Im Going: Katharine Hepburn, A Personal Biography by Charlotte Chandler, Hepburn and Hughes were very sweet on each other. Although her head shook visibly in television interviews from the 1980's on, she vehemently denied the rumor that she had Parkinson's disease, saying she had inherited her shaking head from her grandfather Hepburn. Tracy Lord is a beautiful, high-spirited rich woman, about to marry her second husband, when her first husband and a reporter who is covering the wedding arrive to create an unexpected romantic tangle. From early childhood Hepburn was continually encouraged to expand her intellectual horizons, speak nothing but the truth, and keep herself in top physical condition. Spencer Tracy never divorced Louise. Her father, Thomas Hepburn, was a successful doctor. She was 96 years old. Parkinsons tremors tend to start on one side of the body, commonly in the hands, and then progress to the other side. READ MORE: Peter Kay: Comic's 'first hand experience' of 'complex' disease - condition explained. However, The Guardian notes that Hepburn had been sick for some time and was suffering from Parkinson's disease prior to her death.
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