Kitty Melrose

Kitty Melrose (née Agnes Butterfield; 6 September 1881 – 3 June 1912) was an English stage actress and singer.

Life Melrose was born in Cumberland to Stephen and Jane Butterfield. Her father later worked as a clothier in Blackpool, Lancashire.

In 1909, while in New York performing The Dollar Princess at the Knickerbocker Theatre, was severely injured while hit with a ball while golfing with F. Pope Stamper. They initially feared she might be disfigured, but excellent surgery left her with only a small scar.

Death In 1912, Melrose committed suicide at her apartment in Smith Square, Westminster. A public inquest revealed that Melrose, who was found in her locked apartment with her head in the oven, had died from asphyxiation caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. Her family blamed the suicide on heartbreak after her fiancé, Edward Lawson-Johnson, broke off their engagement. His family, who supported him financially, had discovered the pair were living together outside of wedlock and forbid him marrying her.

Letters found in her apartment revealed that Lawson-Johnson—described as "a man about town" by the press—broke up with her by post. She was buried in London at the Kensal Green Cemetery, Kensal Green.