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Actress Ann Rutherford, who gained fame playing Scarlett O'Hara's youngest sister in the 1939 film classic Gone with the Wind, has died at age 94.

A close friend, actress Anne Jeffreys, confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that Rutherford died Monday night at her home in Beverly Hills. 

Rutherford -- who also portrayed Mickey Rooney's teenage girlfriend in the Andy Hardy movie series -- had been in declining health and suffered from heart problems, according to the newspaper.

Rutherford reportedly got the part as the O'Hara's youngest daughter Carreen in Gone with the Wind because Judy Garland was busy filming The Wizard of Oz.

The actress told the Times in 2010 that MGM head Louis B. Mayer was at first going to refuse her the role because he considered it a "nothing part." But Rutherford, who was a big fan of the novel, said she uncharacteristically burst into tears and Mayer changed his mind.