She Survived a Difficult Childhood to Become One of the Biggest Celeb Icons at 72 – Her Transformation in 40+ Pics

A Childhood Shaped by Hardship

Before the empire, the magazine, and the name known around the world, there was a little girl in Mississippi whose life was anything but easy.

Growing up, church was the absolute center of her existence, with Sunday school flowing into the 11 a.m. service, then home for a meal, and back again for another service in the evening. Her grandmother was her anchor, so close that the two shared a bed every night.