HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME

On April 29, 1991, Lee made her first appearance in over a year.
With the help of her husband, Kip Gowans, co-star Jack Lemmon,
and a cane, Lee painfully made her way to the podium on Hollywood
Boulevard where the walkway's 1,933rd star was unveiled.

With 100 fans in attendance, Lee accepted her Walk of Fame star by
reading prepared remarks. As she read from her paper, she lost her
place several times. “She was obviously upset she couldn’t do it
perfectly,” one fan remarked. “But most of us watching were pretty
impressed by the mere fact she was there at all.”

With a smile, Lee continued, “As you can see my health isn’t perfect.
But my spirits are strong and I’m getting wonderful support from my
family and friends. I’m confident of beating this illness. I’m not finished
yet. You don’t recover from this overnight. But as soon as I can, I want
to get back to work.”

Lee's long-time friend, Jack Lemmon, hugged Lee, then wiped away tears before addressing the crowd, “Suddenly to see her ill shakes you up. I have worked with some of the greatest actresses on the face of this earth over the years, but there is nobody I have respected more, or learned more from—or who means more to me…..”

Lee's swollen face, and the fifteen to twenty pounds she had gained were the result of the buildup of fluids caused by the powerful drugs she was taking to fight cancer of the kidney, lungs and liver.

Sitting next to the Walk of Fame Star for photographs is customary for most recipients, but Lee, quickly tiring, could only manage to stand next to it for about two minutes, after which, she smiled, waved to the crowd, then painfully climbed into her limousine for the ride home.