CROONER COMO DEAD AT 88
Como had suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease for about two years.
The singer of such hits as "Catch A Falling Star" and "Papa Loves Mambo" was remembered Sunday (5/13) as a dedicated showman who never forgot his roots as a humble barber.
His fellow entertainers mourned the singer. "In the times I was in his company, I found him to be a man who cared about listening to other people," comedian Don Rickles said. "Perry was a special kind of guy whose charisma will never be matched."
Comic Jack Swersie, who opened for Como during the singer's last three tours in the early 1990s, said Como was "the nicest person I have ever met and the greatest man I ever worked with."
Born in Canonsburg, PA, one of 13 children of Italian immigrants, Como left his job as a steel town barber in the 1930s to sing with big bands. His songs became a mainstay of radio and jukeboxes in the late 1940s, and he pioneered variety shows in the 1950s. In 1945, Como had his first million-selling hit, "Till The End Of Time."
The emergence of rock ‘n’ roll overshadowed Como and his contemporaries, but his career saw a resurgence in the 1970s with songs like "It's Impossible" and "And I Love You So."
In 1987, President Ronald Reagan presented Como with a Kennedy Center award for outstanding achievement in the performing arts.
Como's wake is scheduled for Thursday at St. Edward's Catholic Church in Palm Beach. A funeral mass will be held the next morning, the day Como would have turned 89.
