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Eydie Gorme has died


HarryCarter

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Sad news, Here's Lucy guest star and Life with Lucy theme singer Eydie Gorme has died at the age of 84. :(

 

Concert and recording superstar Eydie Gormé, who – performing everything from ballads to bossa nova with singing partner and husband Steve Lawrence – made an indelible impression on American audiences during the swingin' '60s, died Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas, her spokesman, Howard Bragman, tells PEOPLE. She was 84.

 

"Legendary singer and performer Eydie Gorme passed away peacefully today at Sunrise Hospital following a brief illness," Bragman said in a statement. "She was surrounded by her husband, son and other loved ones at the time of her death."

 

In his own statement, Steve Lawrence said: "Eydie has been my partner on stage and in life for more than 55 years. I fell in love with her the moment I saw her and even more the first time I heard her sing."

 

He added: "While my personal loss is unimaginable, the world has lost one of the greatest pop vocalists of all time."

 

A favorite on The Ed Sullivan Show, in showrooms in the Catskills and in Las Vegas – where they married on Dec. 29, 1957, and later took up permanent residence – as well as on stages, including Carnegie Hall, Steve and Eydie, as they were known, sang popular hits of the day, including Broadway standards, and exchanged pointed personal banter – all of which their audiences ate up.

 

A Gift for Languages and for Singing

 

Born in the Bronx to a tailor originally from Sicily and a mother from Turkey, Gormé was a Sephardic Jew whose real name was Edith Garmezano. Spanish was spoken in the home, while at William Howard Taft High School she became the Taft Swing Band's lead female vocalist.

 

Her gift for languages helped land her a job as a translator at the United Nations shortly after high-school graduation, and her mellifluous voice soon got her an audition with Tex Beneke's Big Band. A year's tour followed, as did a contract with Coral Records.

 

She met Lawrence, a cantor's son (his original surname was Leibowitz), in September 1953 on Steve Allen's Tonight show. Booked for two weeks as the program's vocalist, she ended up staying five years. Lawrence was also a regular on the show, and the two were often paired in musical numbers and comic sketches.

 

 

A Son Who Predeceased Her

Once married, in 1958 they had their own summer TV show, which was canceled after the one season because Lawrence was drafted into the Army. Gormé then performed in nightclubs around Washington, D.C., where he was stationed, and after his discharge in 1960, the "Steve and Eydie" act was born, as was their legend.

 

So accustomed were the two to appearing together, that when Lawrence did a show by himself in 2009 – Gormé had retired and took up blogging on her and her husband's website – he told Newsday that it was strange. "It's also about the first time in 50 years I'll be able to finish a sentence without being interrupted."

 

Not that they didn't have successes on their own. In 1962, Lawrence had his great hit, "Go Away Little Girl." A year later, Gormé scored on the Billboard charts with "Blame It on the Bossa Nova." The bouncy number made her an international star, and she became a Latin crossover artist when she began singing in Spanish the following year.

 

Gormé and Lawrence had two sons: David, and composer, and Michael, who died in 1986, at 23, from an undiagnosed heart condition. Steve and David Lawrence survive her, as does a granddaughter and generations of fans. "Services are pending and will be private," said Bragman.

 

"A prolific 93 albums, 12 Emmys, 2 Grammys and innumerable national tours later, they're still singing together," The New York Times reported in 2004, when the two headliners performed to an appreciative crowd in Westbury, Long Island.

 

The newspaper added: "At the end of a show that lasted nearly three hours, Ms. Gormé's sign-off, 'God bless us all,' prompted a standing ovation."

 

Poor Steve. :(

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Exactly what I said when I saw it just now on the net. Such a terrific singer and entertainer, always loved her dearly. Both of them for that matter, they were so great together, her obit went on for days as they had both accomplished so much over the decades. I read she never really recovered from the death of one of her sons back in '86 from heart failure at 23. Thought her singing of the theme song was the single best thing about Life with Lucy. Forgot she also did The Facts of Life one too. If I see anything with her singing, I have to watch it as she was just so great. LOVED her part on the Here's Lucy ep also. Beloved and so talented, she was an absolute gem.

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What a unique and powerful voice. I know she and Steve did the 1968 "Golden Rainbow" but I know nothing about that. Her voice was so heart-wrenchingly dramatic, I often wondered why she didn't do stage musicals "Funny Girl" "Gypsy" "Mame" or her and Steve in "I Do I Do" ( and maybe they did, does anyone know?) Judging by the only non-singing performance I've seen of her (Here's Lucy), it's possible she needed song to express her dramatic talents and just couldn't master the acting part.

No tragedy. Not every performer needs to be versatile because she gave us "Blame it On the Bossa Nova" and the two Harry posted "What did I have?" and what has been called the definitive version of "If He Walked Into My Life".

Very sad about not being able to get over her son's death, but something I understand all too well.

I didn't realize she performed as late as 2009.

Also didn't realize she was 7 years older than Steve. They fudged on her YOB early on because I had her at about 1933 (Steve is 1935) and unlike Lucy and Desi, a big deal was never made over their age difference.

Eydie was the guest on one of the Carol Burnett Shows I saw and somehow I was able to sneak backstage after the show. Don't remember how I managed that. Got my Carol Burnett ticket autographed by Carol, Eydie and other guest Jack Gilford, and it's one of the few pieces of memorabilia I managed to save. I was just standing around with "the group" and remember Carol and Eydie making plans to meet up at some restaurant later that night with their husbands....talking just like you and me. She seemed very nice and genuine (as did Carol). If I had had Lucy Carter gall, I would have said "OK, I'll see you there" and shown up.

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What a unique and powerful voice. I know she and Steve did the 1968 "Golden Rainbow" but I know nothing about that. Her voice was so heart-wrenchingly dramatic, I often wondered why she didn't do stage musicals "Funny Girl" "Gypsy" "Mame" or her and Steve in "I Do I Do" ( and maybe they did, does anyone know?) Judging by the only non-singing performance I've seen of her (Here's Lucy), it's possible she needed song to express her dramatic talents and just couldn't master the acting part.

No tragedy. Not every performer needs to be versatile because she gave us "Blame it On the Bossa Nova" and the two Harry posted "What did I have?" and what has been called the definitive version of "If He Walked Into My Life".

Very sad about not being able to get over her son's death, but something I understand all too well.

I didn't realize she performed as late as 2009.

Also didn't realize she was 7 years older than Steve. They fudged on her YOB early on because I had her at about 1933 (Steve is 1935) and unlike Lucy and Desi, a big deal was never made over their age difference.

Eydie was the guest on one of the Carol Burnett Shows I saw and somehow I was able to sneak backstage after the show. Don't remember how I managed that. Got my Carol Burnett ticket autographed by Carol, Eydie and other guest Jack Gilford, and it's one of the few pieces of memorabilia I managed to save. I was just standing around with "the group" and remember Carol and Eydie making plans to meet up at some restaurant later that night with their husbands....talking just like you and me. She seemed very nice and genuine (as did Carol). If I had had Lucy Carter gall, I would have said "OK, I'll see you there" and shown up.

Surprised you didn't, dahling! ;)
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Saw this over on one of the Bway boards.

 

 

 

Here's some interesting trivia. On the original Broadway cast recording of THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG it's Eydie Gorme, not Lucie Arnaz, who sings the last 5 words at the end of the "When You're In My Arms" track. These were notes that were not really in Arnaz's range and it really didn't matter in the theatre. Gorme did Marvin Hamlisch a favor and came to the studio and sang those 5 notes for the recording. Obviously without any credit.

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Saw this over on one of the Bway boards.

 

 

 

Here's some interesting trivia. On the original Broadway cast recording of THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG it's Eydie Gorme, not Lucie Arnaz, who sings the last 5 words at the end of the "When You're In My Arms" track. These were notes that were not really in Arnaz's range and it really didn't matter in the theatre. Gorme did Marvin Hamlisch a favor and came to the studio and sang those 5 notes for the recording. Obviously without any credit.

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Saw this over on one of the Bway boards.

 

 

 

Here's some interesting trivia. On the original Broadway cast recording of THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG it's Eydie Gorme, not Lucie Arnaz, who sings the last 5 words at the end of the "When You're In My Arms" track. These were notes that were not really in Arnaz's range and it really didn't matter in the theatre. Gorme did Marvin Hamlisch a favor and came to the studio and sang those 5 notes for the recording. Obviously without any credit.

Never saw that one coming. I thought she was incredible, voice wise, but also, great marriage,. great mom, awesome performer. And like I said before, that song she did for the opening of Life with Lucy is the only thing I treasure from that show, along with Lucy being in it of course.

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What a unique and powerful voice. I know she and Steve did the 1968 "Golden Rainbow" but I know nothing about that. Her voice was so heart-wrenchingly dramatic, I often wondered why she didn't do stage musicals "Funny Girl" "Gypsy" "Mame" or her and Steve in "I Do I Do" ( and maybe they did, does anyone know?) Judging by the only non-singing performance I've seen of her (Here's Lucy), it's possible she needed song to express her dramatic talents and just couldn't master the acting part.

No tragedy. Not every performer needs to be versatile because she gave us "Blame it On the Bossa Nova" and the two Harry posted "What did I have?" and what has been called the definitive version of "If He Walked Into My Life".

Very sad about not being able to get over her son's death, but something I understand all too well.

I didn't realize she performed as late as 2009.

Also didn't realize she was 7 years older than Steve. They fudged on her YOB early on because I had her at about 1933 (Steve is 1935) and unlike Lucy and Desi, a big deal was never made over their age difference.

Eydie was the guest on one of the Carol Burnett Shows I saw and somehow I was able to sneak backstage after the show. Don't remember how I managed that. Got my Carol Burnett ticket autographed by Carol, Eydie and other guest Jack Gilford, and it's one of the few pieces of memorabilia I managed to save. I was just standing around with "the group" and remember Carol and Eydie making plans to meet up at some restaurant later that night with their husbands....talking just like you and me. She seemed very nice and genuine (as did Carol). If I had had Lucy Carter gall, I would have said "OK, I'll see you there" and shown up.

I don't know why you keep saying, as others have, that Eydie was not up to snuff on that here's Lucy show, I thought she was excellent, as always. And maybe, that answers your question about her doing a Broadway type show, if she couldn't handle a Here's Lucy, how could she have done Broadway?

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I don't know why you keep saying, as others have, that Eydie was not up to snuff on that here's Lucy show, I thought she was excellent, as always. And maybe, that answers your question about her doing a Broadway type show, if she couldn't handle a Here's Lucy, how could she have done Broadway?

 

Eydie Gorme was offered Funny Girl, Bye, Bye Birdie, and Flora the Red Menace and turned them all down. She and Steve eventually ended up doing Golden Rainbow, which was a musical version of A Hole in the Head with Eydie in the Edward G. Robinson role. It was not well received, but ran for nearly a year on Steve and Eydie's names.

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Eydie Gorme was offered Funny Girl, Bye, Bye Birdie, and Flora the Red Menace and turned them all down. She and Steve eventually ended up doing Golden Rainbow, which was a musical version of A Hole in the Head with Eydie in the Edward G. Robinson role. It was not well received, but ran for nearly a year on Steve and Eydie's names.

I can't bring my head around to even imagining Eydie as Edward G, LOL! Even if she only had HIS role.

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