Shelby is one of the main characters in Steel Magnolias. She is the daughter of Drum and M'Lynn Eatenton, older sister of Tommy and Jonathan Eatenton, wife of Jackson Latcherie, and the mother of Jackson Jack Latcherie Jr. She is played by Julia Roberts in the movie. In the beginning of the movie Shelby is preparing for her wedding to her boyfriend Jackson Latcherie and while getting her hair done at Truvy Jones' Beauty Parlor she has a diabetic seizure and it is revealed by M'Lynn that Shelby has diabetes real bad and because of her condition her doctors have told her that she probably shouldn't have children because it could probably cause her to have kidney failure and die. Shelby recovers from the seizure and happily marries Jackson and leaves with him to go on their honeymoon. When they return home for Christmas Shelby reveals to her mother and the rest of the family that she's pregnant and gonna have a baby in July. M'Lynn s very upset by this as her daughter could lose her life by this but Shelby argues to her mother that she is gonna have a baby no matter what. On July 3rd Shelby gives birth to her son Jackson Jack Latcherie Jr and a year goes by and they all celebrate Jack Junior's 1st Birthday and Shelby reveals that she has to have a kidney transplant because having Jack Jr put strain on her kidney so her mother gives her one of her kidneys and they go into the hospital where they have the kidney transplant and it goes really good. Later on when Shelby is at home with Jack Jr getting him dressed up for Halloween she begins to have kidney failure and slips into a coma and is found by Jackson when he arrives home from work. Shelby is taken to the hospital where she is put on life support and M'Lynn sits by her daughter's side hoping for the best but Shelby shows no sign of life and a few days later is taken off life support and dies. At Shelby's funeral M'Lynn is so saddened by the death of her daughter but her friends manage to cheer her up with a little comic relief. In the end Shelby's friend Annelle and her husband Sammy have a baby daughter whom they name Shelby after her. Show less «