Did Glenn Miller have a dark past?

Answer 1

Anything but. His family was of German descent and lived in the Midwest. Early poverty instilled a very strong work ethic, and his upbringing was strict middle-American Protestant. His friend and biographer George T. Simon described him as very much a "what you see is what you get" person with a strong sense of honesty. He was said to be only able to fake anything when he was playing his Trombone.

However, the stress of separation and illness affected him greatly while stationed in England. There have been persistent rumors that during his time there he began a relationship with a Frenchwoman whose husband had disappeared in the war. One version of his disappearance is that he actually landed in France on Dec. 15, 1944 but that the woman's husband reappeared among released soldiers, discovered the affair, and killed Miller in revenge. Unfortunately that story is just one of many, each with supporting facts and significant holes, so we're unlikely to ever know the truth.