Skip to main contentSkip to main content
Register for more free articles.
Log in Sign up
Back to homepage
Subscriber Login
Keep reading with a digital access subscription.
Subscribe now
You are the owner of this collection.
Edit Collection
You have permission to edit this collection.
Edit
Arizona Daily Star
76°
  • Sign in
  • Subscribe Now
  • Manage account
  • Logout
    • Manage account
    • e-Newspaper
    • Logout
  • News
    • Sign up for newsletters
    • Local
    • Arizona
    • Business
    • Crime
    • Nation & World
    • Markets & Stocks
    • SaddleBrooke
    • Politics
    • Archives
    • News Tip
  • Arizona Daily Star
    • E-edition
    • E-edition-Tutorial
    • Archives
    • Special Sections
    • Merchandise
    • Circulars
    • Public Notices
    • Readers' Choice Awards
    • Buyer's Edge
  • Obituaries
    • Share Your Story
    • Recent Obituaries
    • Find an Obituary
  • Opinion
    • Submit a Letter
    • Submit guest opinion
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Opinion & Editorials
    • National Columnists
  • Sports
    • Arizona Wildcats
    • Greg Hansen
    • High Schools
    • Roadrunners
  • Lifestyles
    • Events Calendar
    • Arts & Theatre
    • Food & Cooking
    • Movies & TV
    • Movie Listings
    • Music
    • Comics
    • Games
    • Columns
    • Play
    • Home & Gardening
    • Health
    • Get Healthy
    • Parenting
    • Fashion
    • People
    • Pets
    • Travel
    • Faith
    • Retro Tucson
    • History
    • Travel
    • Outdoors & Rec
    • Community Pages
  • Brand Ave. Studios
  • Join the community
    • News tip
    • Share video
  • Buy & Sell
    • Place an Ad
    • Shop Local
    • Jobs
    • Homes
    • Freedom RV AZ
    • Marketplace
    • I Love A Deal
  • Shopping
  • Customer Service
    • Manage My Account
    • Newsletter Sign-Up
    • Subscribe
    • Contact us
  • Mobile Apps
  • Weather: Live Radar
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Bluesky
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
© 2026 Lee Enterprises
Terms of Service | Privacy Policy
Arizona Daily Star
News+
Read Today's E-edition
Arizona Daily Star
News+
  • Log In
  • $1 for 3 months
    Subscribe Now
    • Manage account
    • e-Newspaper
    • Logout
  • E-edition
  • News
  • Obituaries
  • Opinion
  • Wildcats
  • Lifestyles
  • Newsletters
  • Comics & Puzzles
  • Buyer's Edge
  • Jobs
  • Freedom RV AZ
  • 76° Sunny
Share This
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Bluesky
  • WhatsApp
  • SMS
  • Email
Photos: 20+ famous people who came to Tucson
Share this
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Bluesky
  • WhatsApp
  • SMS
  • Email
  • Print
Editor's Pick Top Story

Photos: 20+ famous people who came to Tucson

  • Rick Wiley
  • Jun 16, 2023
  • Jun 16, 2023 Updated Sep 1, 2023

From Ernest Hemingway to Betty White, here are some times famous people visited Tucson in decades past, with photos from archives of the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen.

For more historical Tucson photos, subscribe to the weekly Tucson Time Machine newsletter here: http://tucne.ws/time.

(19) updates to this series since Updated Sep 1, 2023

Joe Namath and Ann-Margaret

Joe Namath and Ann-Margaret

New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath, left, and actress Ann-Margaret arrived at Tucson International Airport on April, 10, 1970, and were gree…

Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader

Famous consumer advocate Ralph Nader speaks at the University of Arizona in 1979. 

Nat "King" Cole

Nat "King" Cole

Singer and entertainer Nat "King" Cole and Arizona Gov Ernest W. McFarland exchange autographs while at the Tucson Municipal Airport on May 3,…

John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy

Senator John F. Kennedy at the Sunday Evening Forum, sponsored by the Catalina Methodist Church in Tucson on Feb. 24, 1958. Kennedy spoke befo…

Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum in 1958. 

James Arness

James Arness

Actor James Arness from the "Gunsmoke" television series, compares boot sizes with Texas Ranger Capt Clint Peoples while in Tucson on January …

Isaac Stern

Isaac Stern

Violin virtuoso Isaac Stern tuning his violin in April 1979. He performed in a benefit recital for the Tucson Symphony Society. 

Herbie Hancock

Herbie Hancock

Jazz innovator, writer, performer Herbie Hancock played for 1,300 people at the Temple of Music and Art in 1979. 

George H.W. Bush

George H.W. Bush

Ambassador George H.W. Bush speaks at a press conference at the Arizona Inn in 1973. Bush was U.S. President during the First Gulf War. 

Betty White

Betty White

On May 3, 1988, Betty White visited the Reid Park Zoo while filming a television promotion for the Tucson Zoological Society. Above, Steve McC…

Garry Marshall

Garry Marshall

Hollywood television producer, Garry Marshall in Tucson, in 1979. He wrote and produced the TV series "Happy Days" and "Mork and Mindy."

Errol Flynn

Errol Flynn

Errol Flynn in Tucson for a Tucson Press Club event. Date Unknown. 

Duke and Duchess of Windsor

Duke and Duchess of Windsor

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor from Great Britain arrive in Tucson for a stay at the Arizona Inn on March 1, 1959. 

Bob Hope

Bob Hope

Hollywood star Bob Hope trying to get the upper hand with an extra long bat during Cleveland Indians Spring training in Tucson on March 5, 194…

Billy Joel

Billy Joel

The "Piano Man," Billy Joel, performs at the Tucson Community Center on November 14, 1978.

Diana Ross

Diana Ross

Diana Ross performing at McKale Center on October 3, 1983.

Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams

Legendary landscape photographer Ansel Adams talks to an interviewer during his Tucson visit in 1983. UA's Center for Creative Photography is …

Ernest Hemingway and Waldo Peirce

Ernest Hemingway and Waldo Peirce

Writer Ernest Hemingway with longtime friend and notable painter, Waldo Peirce, in the Baghdad Room at the Tucson Inn in Tucson, Ariz., on Mar…

Billy Idol

Billy Idol

Rock star Billy Idol made an appearance at the Tucson Community Center Arena on May 5, 1987. Opening for Idol that night was The Cult. 

Rick Wiley

Rick Wiley

Photo editor

As featured on

Moved, promoted or appointed in Tucson in 2015

Moved, promoted or appointed in Tucson in 2015

Check out the people in our community who have moved up the ladder in their fields.

Photos: Famous people who visited Tucson, part II

Photos: Famous people who visited Tucson, part II

More famous people who came to the Old Pueblo.

A test of faith

A test of faith

A favorite Biblical story is found in 1 Kings 18 and 19. There we read of how the Prophet Elijah confronts Ahab and Jezebel with a challenge t…

Binge-worthy British shows are a click away with your Pima County Library card

Binge-worthy British shows are a click away with your Pima County Library card

Get access to “an alternate universe of terrific British television” for free with your library card. 

Rosemont Mine's impacts on endangered jaguar still hotly debated by federal officials

Rosemont Mine's impacts on endangered jaguar still hotly debated by federal officials

A long-simmering dispute has erupted into the open between the former head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Arizona office and the former chief of his Tucson staff over the Rosemont Mine's impacts on jaguars.

Many Arizona children missing shots, doctor visits during pandemic

Many Arizona children missing shots, doctor visits during pandemic

The fallout could mean a rise in vaccine-preventable illnesses, ongoing child abuse and neglect, mental health challenges

Tim Steller's opinion: Be selfless in deciding whether to wear a mask

Tim Steller's opinion: Be selfless in deciding whether to wear a mask

Deciding whether to wear a mask in public is a lot easier when you consider an 11-year-old girl with lung disease -- it's for her and other vulnerable people, not you

Grandparents as teachers; community clean up: Tucsonans share coronavirus experiences

Grandparents as teachers; community clean up: Tucsonans share coronavirus experiences

Snippets of life from the Old Pueblo while sheltering in place.

Escape coronavirus isolation with a virtual trip to the Tucson Festival of Books

Escape coronavirus isolation with a virtual trip to the Tucson Festival of Books

Catch noteworthy authors through the Tucson Festival of Books' Facebook Live Author Series.

Fave Five: Tim Steller's opinion: Be selfless in deciding whether to wear a mask

Fave Five: Tim Steller's opinion: Be selfless in deciding whether to wear a mask

Deciding whether to wear a mask in public is a lot easier when you consider an 11-year-old girl with lung disease -- it's for her and other vulnerable people, not you

Author who grew up in Tucson remembers friend Betty White

Author who grew up in Tucson remembers friend Betty White

Author Patty Sullivan, who grew up in Tucson, and shared New Year's Day with Betty White for the last 20 years has written a book honoring her friend. 

Tucson mayor keeps parks, city buildings closed through June 8 due to coronavirus

Tucson mayor keeps parks, city buildings closed through June 8 due to coronavirus

Mayor Regina Romero "strongly advises" residents to wear masks and employers to let workers telecommute during the COVID-19 pandemic

Arizona Daily Star
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Bluesky
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Arizona Daily Star Store
  • This is Tucson
  • Saddlebag Notes
  • Tucson Festival of Books

Sites & Partners

  • E-edition
  • Classifieds
  • Events calendar
  • Careers @ Lee Enterprises
  • Careers @ Gannett
  • Online Features
  • Sponsored Blogs
  • Get Healthy

Services

  • Advertise with us
  • Register
  • Contact us
  • RSS feeds
  • Newsletters
  • Photo reprints
  • Subscriber services
  • Subscription FAQ
  • Licensing
  • Shopping
© Copyright 2026 Arizona Daily Star, PO Box 26887 Tucson, AZ 85726-6887
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Advertising Terms of Use | Do Not Sell My Info | Cookie Preferences
Powered by BLOX Content Management System from bloxdigital.com.
  • Notifications
  • Settings
You don't have any notifications.

Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.

Topics

News Alerts

Breaking News