Child star Jane Withers, who won over Hollywood during its Golden Age, has died in California at age 95

Former child star Jane Withers, who wowed Hollywood as a contemporary wunderkind of Shirley Temple, has died at the age of 95, her family said this weekend.

Her cause of death in Burbank, California on Saturday was not immediately released but her daughter paid a glowing tribute to the actress in a statement, admitting that Ms Withers had been marked from a young age for showbiz stardom by what would now be called a “stage mom.”

The late star’s name was chosen so that, “even with a long last name like withers, it would fit on a marquee,” her daughter, Kendall Errair, said in a statement.

“My mother was such a special lady. She lit up a room with her laughter, but she especially radiated joy and thankfulness when talking about the career she so loved and how lucky she was.”

Born in Georgia on April 12, 1926, Ms. Withers was raised by parents Walter Edward and Lavinia Ruth Withers. Her mother - a frustrated actress - enrolled her in performance classes at the age of two and, a year later, the toddler won a local contest called Dixie’s Dainty Dewdrop – leading to a role in a Saturday morning children’s show.

“Mother was determined to have only one child, a girl, who would go into show business, which she had wanted to do so much herself,” Withers told PEOPLE in 1974.

“In fact, Mother turned down several marriage proposals because the men wouldn’t go along with the plan,” she said. “When she was carrying me she’d study movie marquees trying to decide on a name to go with Withers. She taught me to sing, although she doesn’t sing on pitch herself. Luckily I do, although I never know what key I’m singing in. She’d take me to the movies when I was 2 and 3 so I could learn.”

Mother and daughter moved to Hollywood before the child actress was six, and it was in California that Ms Withers’ association with Temple would make her a national household name. They costarred in the 1934 movie Bright Eyes and remained friends until Temple’s death in 2014, Ms Withers told The Hollywood Reporter following her fellow actress’ passing.

“If it hadn’t been for Shirley Temple being the cutest most adorable little girl in the world, and they needed an opposite – and boy I sure was it ... I might’ve ended up selling hats in Atlanta, Georgia, my hometown, or something else,” she told the outlet in 2014.

“I have always been so grateful to her for being the most precious child in the world and having the opportunity to work with her, and we didn’t get to know each other when we were children but later on, I did get to know her very well and we became friends, and I never missed a birthday calling her.”

Following her Hollywood breakthrough in Bright Eyes, Ms Withers went on to star in films such as Ginger in 1935 and 38 others before she retired at the age of 21. She returned later in life, however, as a character and voice actress, earning particular fame for her role as Josephine the Plumber, who starred in television commercials for Comet cleanser.

A devout Christian, Ms Withers was married twice and had five children. Though she lived to 95, she had suffered various health setbacks throughout her life such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

She was also well known for her doll collection, which she began amassing as a child. By 2004, her assortment of dolls and other Hollywood memorabilia had surpassed 42,000 items, she told the Los Angeles Times. By the time of her death, she had donated thousands of dolls, auctioned off others and placed a huge number with friends for safekeeping.