Dorothy Ruth

Family Member

Birthday June 7, 1921

Birth Sign Gemini

Birthplace New York

DEATH DATE May 18, 1989 (67)

#148838 Most Popular

About

New York-born woman most famous for being the daughter of legendary baseball player Babe Ruth and his mistress, Juanita Jennings. She wrote about her life and her family in the 1988 memoir My Dad, the Babe: Growing Up With an American Hero.

Before Fame

She was raised by Babe Ruth and his wife Helen, who adopted her and was unaware that she was the product of an extramarital affair. After Helen perished in a house fire, Dorothy lived with her father and his next wife, Claire Merritt Ruth.

Trivia

She did not find out that Juanita Jennings was her real mother until the age of 59. Growing up, she referred to Jennings as "Aunt Nita."

Family Life

She married and had six children with Daniel J. Sullivan. After that marriage ended, she married Dominick Pirone, with whom she had three children.

Associated With

She and actor Ty Panitz are both relatives of Babe Ruth.