James Cagney Brother Dies of Heart Ills
William Cagney, former movie producer and brother of film legend James Cagney, died Sunday in Newport Beach of a heart attack, a family member said. He was 82.
The younger brother of the scrappy, tough-talking actor was the last surviving member of the five-sibling Cagney clan, said his niece, Terry Morrison, daughter of the Cagneys’ actress sister, Jeanne.
Cagney died Sunday morning at Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach.
He and James Cagney, who died in 1986, were partners in Cagney Productions Inc., which they formed in the early 1940s to produce such James Cagney films as “The Time of Your Life” and “A Lion Is in the Street.”
Managed Brother’s Career
William Cagney produced the classic “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” which starred James Cagney and co-starred Jeanne Cagney, while his brother was under contract to Warner Bros. Studios.
Cagney also managed his brother’s career, negotiating his contracts with movie mogul Jack Warner, who once agreed to the Cagney brothers’ demand for a “happiness clause,” which stated that the actor would not work unless he was happy.
Cagney retired from the film business in 1965, spending his later years as a real estate investor, Morrison said.
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