Did You Know Jay Leno’s ‘The Fruitcake Lady’ Was Truman Capote’s Aunt?

I'm a big fan of "Ask the Fruitcake Lady" -- the  segment that aired on Jay Leno's "The Tonight Show" a decade ago (she passed away in 2006). Today I found out she was Truman Capote's aunt!

Truman Capote wrote a popular short story called "A Christmas Memory." In it he tells of making fruitcakes with a cousin named Sook. The aunt who raised him, Marie Rudisill, wrote a follow-up book about raising Capote after his mother died and more about Sook. In it, she gives their fruitcake recipe. Jay Leno asked Marie to come on the show to demonstrate how to make them. She was so popular, "Ask the Fruitcake Lady" was created as a regular feature.