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Producer Joan Worth dies; knew Malcolm X

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Joan Worth, the widow of writer and producer Marvin Worth, has died at her Beverly Hills, Calif., home at the age of 72.

No cause of the Dec. 8 death was given.

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Worth was the widow of Marvin Worth and assisted him in the development of biographical films on Malcolm X and Lenny Bruce.

The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday that Worth was an artist who became a theatrical writer and producer herself in her later years. Having partnered with her husband for many years, she soldiered on with his work in furthering the legacies of comedian Bruce and Malcolm X.

She took part in the writing of film treatments and assisted him in reworking scripts, including "Lenny" and "Malcolm X," along with "The Rose," which was based on the life of Janis Joplin.

The Worths counted Bruce and Malcolm X among their many friends, the Times said; Marvin Worth had been Bruce's early manager and later acquired the rights to Bruce's life story.

After Marvin died from complications of lung cancer in 1998, Joan took over as president of Marvin Worth Productions.

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A private funeral was held in Los Angeles.

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