Quantcast

Eydie, RIP

EYDIE GORME, a Grammy-winning fixture in both Pop music and pop culture as half of a vocal duo with husband Steve Lawrence—who also released a number of internationally admired Spanish-language recordings with Trio Los Panchos—died Saturday in Las Vegas. She was 84. Born in The Bronx to Sephardic-Jewish parents from Sicily and Turkey, Edith Gormezano was fluent at a young age in both Spanish and Ladino (the Sephardic language) and worked as a U.N. interpreter before making her first recording in 1950. She and Lawrence were both booked on TV's Tonight Show one fateful evening in 1953; they married four years later. As a solo artist, Gorme earned a Grammy nom for "Blame It on the Bossa Nova" in 1963 and won for 1966's "If He Walked Into My Life." But to most fans she was inextricably linked to her husband, with whom she shared a trophy for their first album together, 1960's We Got Us. The pair's live act, almost as famous for their playful between-songs banter as for their silky renditions of pop standards, was among the most reliable in the biz for decades, turning up regularly on The Carol Burnett Show and other network institutions and on Broadway in the show Golden Rainbow. The two experienced multiple triumphs and, in 1986, one overwhelming tragedy: the death of 23-year-old son Michael from ventricular fibrillation. Steve and Eydie mounted a farewell tour in 2002, and she retired seven years later. Lawrence and the pair's surviving son, David, were at her bedside at the time of her passing. In a statement, NARAS chief Neil Portnow declared Gorme "a remarkable pop vocalist" who "captivated audiences with her smooth, playful voice, memorable songs and vivacious charm," as well as " a true crossover star" for her bilingual performances. Added Portnow, "We mourn her loss along with her family, friends, and all who had the pleasure of knowing her, and we celebrate the legacy she has left behind."(8/12a)

NEAR TRUTHS: SPRING BLOOMS
Here come the big guns. (3/28a)
THE COUNT: COLDPLAY IS HOT, COUNTRY'S COOKIN' IN THE U.K.
The latest tidbits from the bustling live sector (3/28a)
CITY OF HOPE TAPS MARCIANO FOR TOP HONOR
This year's philanthropic model (3/28a)
TRUST IN THE TOP 20
Hip-hop is no longer hibernating. (3/28a)
UMG BROADENS SPOTIFY OFFERINGS
Sir Lucian and Daniel are in harmony. (3/28a)
THE NEW UMG
Gosh, we hope there are more press releases.
TIKTOK BANNED!
Unless the Senate manages to make this whole thing go away, that is.
THE NEW HUGE COUNTRY ACT
No, not that one.
TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN PLAYLIST
Now 100% unlicensed!
 Email

 First Name

 Last Name

 Company

 Country
CAPTCHA code
Captcha: (type the characters above)