Ella Fitzgerald
As a teenager, Ella Fitzgerald fell in with the wrong crowd and got involved in illegal activities, leading to her being sent to a boarding school for “wayward” girls. The school was notorious for mistreating its students, prompting Ella to run away. Homeless in New York, she began performing on the streets.
Within months, at just 18, Ella became one of the most talked-about artists of her time—a legacy that continues to this day.