Evelyn F. Williams, dubbed "Miss Maybelline," was a glamorous heiress tied to the Maybelline cosmetics fortune through marriage to my grandfather, William Preston Williams.
In the 1970s, she rolled into Hot Springs, Arkansas, with a young companion—Danné Montague-King—then known simply as "Danie" or "Danny King." She’d met him in Newport Beach, California, and their partnership sparked a whirlwind of activity in the spa town.
Evelyn, already in her early 70s by this time, reinvented herself as "Miss Maybelline, Last of the Red Hot Mamas." In 1974, she opened the Spa City Roller Disco in Hot Springs, a roller rink that doubled as a youth hangout, complete with rock 'n' roll and flamboyant flair—think lights, cameras, and a media frenzy. She followed this with the Hollywood Palace Dinner Theater in 1978, cementing her local legend status. Her persona echoed Hot Springs’ own history of glitz and vice, from gangster haunts to bathhouse opulence.
Danné, a wig maker and aspiring entrepreneur in his 30s, was her right-hand man, crafting wigs and skincare for her and soaking up her mentorship.
Their time together was electric but short-lived. On March 2, 1978, Evelyn died in a mysterious arson fire that gutted her Hot Springs home, the "Maybelline Mansion." The blaze killed her, leaving a 45-year-old cold case that some, including her granddaughter Sharrie Williams (author of The Maybelline Story), call an unsolved murder. Theories swirl—jealousy, resentment, or a Mafia hit tied to her past (she’d reportedly turned Al Capone’s head decades earlier). Danné was devastated; he and his partner Steve arrived home to see smoke rising over the mansion, a scene he later detailed in his memoir, The Maybelline Prince.
Danné Montague-King, born around 1943, spun this tragedy into a launchpad. After Evelyn’s death, he left Hot Springs, eventually founding DMK (Danné Montague-King) skincare, now a global brand with his signature enzyme therapy. He credits Evelyn’s influence—her boldness and belief in him—for his path from "Danny King" to a cosmetics pioneer and gay rights advocate, honored by the Harvey Milk Foundation in 2013.
Hot Springs, with its wild 1970s vibe of free love and experimentation, was the perfect stage for their saga, blending the town’s legacy of healing waters with their own brand of drama.
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