Frank Shields was an American businessman and an executive at Revlon in New York City. He was also the father of actress and model Brooke Shields, who was born in 1965 to his first wife, Teri Schmon. Frank and Teri divorced when Brooke was only five months old, and he later remarried Diana Lippert, with whom he had three more daughters. Frank was the son of Francis Xavier Shields, a top-ranking tennis player and Davis Cup winner, and Princess Marina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi, an Italian aristocrat. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he captained the crew that rowed in the Henley Royal Regatta in 1962. He worked in sales and marketing for Revlon and Estee Lauder, and also founded his own real estate firm in Palm Beach, Florida. He was an avid hunter and fisherman, and a supporter of youth rowing and the U.S. Olympic rowing team. He died in 2003, at the age of 61, from prostate cancer, according to People.
Prostate Cancer: A Common and Deadly Disease
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, and the second leading cause of cancer death in men, after lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. It occurs when abnormal cells grow in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system that produces fluid for semen. The causes of prostate cancer are not fully understood, but some risk factors include age, family history, race, diet, and lifestyle. Prostate cancer can often be detected early by screening tests, such as the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and the digital rectal exam (DRE). However, these tests are not perfect, and some men may have prostate cancer without any symptoms or abnormal test results. Prostate cancer can be treated with surgery, radiation, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, or other methods, depending on the stage and grade of the disease, and the patient’s preferences and overall health. The survival rate for prostate cancer depends on many factors, but generally, the earlier it is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome.
Brooke Shields: A Daughter’s Love and Grief
Brooke Shields was born to Frank and Teri in Manhattan, New York, on May 31, 1965. She was their only child, and they divorced shortly after her birth. Brooke was raised by her mother, who also served as her manager, starting from when she was 11 months old. Brooke became a child model and a star of controversial films, such as Pretty Baby, The Blue Lagoon, and Endless Love, as well as the face of Calvin Klein jeans in the 1980s. She also pursued an education, graduating from Princeton University in 1987 with a degree in French literature. She continued her acting career in movies, TV shows, and Broadway plays, and also wrote several books, including memoirs and children’s books. She married twice, first to tennis player Andre Agassi, and then to screenwriter Chris Henchy, with whom she has two daughters. Brooke had a close yet complicated relationship with her mother, who struggled with alcoholism and dementia, and died in 2012. Brooke also maintained a bond with her father, whom she visited often and supported during his illness. She expressed her love and respect for him in a statement after his death, saying, “My father was an enormous part of my life and of who I am today.” She also honored him by naming her second daughter Grier Hammond, after his middle name.
