Eydie Gorme

She's as good as Barbra and Liza.

I saw that performance recently on an Ed Sullivan rerun and even I went WOW! and I was already a fan.

They "went Vegas" early, and were one of the most popular and highest paid acts there for over thirty years. Much of their act was flinging back-and-forth bad sex jokes about their marriage.

If you were branded a "Vegas" entertainer - regardless of talent, you were immediately considered somewhat cheesy.

Similar to OP, I didn’t enjoy eydie or other singers on carol Burnett when I was a kid, but as an adult I really came to appreciate her.

Steve and Eydie: 'You're right, Frank!'

Sinatra: 'Shut up, ya bootlickers!'

SCTV's homage to Steve & Eydie :)

Go to to hear Eydie belt "After You've Gone" on the Jerry Lewis telethon in 1983. She sounds exactly as she did when she sang this on "Eydie Swings the Blues" (1957).

At 1:00, Steve and Eydie duet "Together Wherever We Go" and "This Could Be Start of Something Big". Steve sings GOLDEN RAINBOW's "I Gotta Be Me" in a ring-a-ding-ding arrangement at 7:48.

Eydie and "After You've Gone " is at 4:40....

I used to wonder the same thing Op. Those SNL skits with Hartman as Frank Sinatra, Frank always treated Steve and Eydie like shit.

Eydie was Sephardic (Sicilian-Turkish) who spoke Ladino and Spanish flawlessly. She even worked as Spanish translator at the UN as a teen.

Her Spanish-language records sold better in Mexico and South America than her English-language records did in the US.

In William Goldman's book "The Season" (thread below), he details how Steve and Eydie sank "Golden Rainbow" on Broadway.

Short version: It started as a musical about a widower (Steve) running a resort and trying to raise a child in Miami. When he needs money, he pretends the kid is sick and asks his square brother and sister-in-law for cash. They fly down instead, are horrified at how the kid is being raised, and a custody battle ensues.

The problem was that Steve and Eydie took over the show and turned it into a combination nightclub act/bad sitcom.

The sister-in-law wasn't a big enough part for Eydie's ego, so they combined the character with the straitlaced brother, which made no sense. Then they reset it in Vegas, which made even less sense. Then they wrote in schtick at Eydie's request, including a drunk scene that was necessary because she couldn't act it straight. It went through 43 previews.

At a big run-through, a dancer predicted Eydie would develop laryngitis on opening night in Philadelphia, and she did.

The Steve & Eydie dynamic was very similar to Keely Smith & Louis Prima, where the marriage banter was played on for comedic effect and the wife clearly was the bigger talent of the pair.

Eydie in "the free-wheeling patio number".

They were considered cheesy but they were also respected as entertainers.

[quote]The Steve & Eydie dynamic was very similar to Keely Smith & Louis Prima.

Sonny & Cher even more so.

Keely Smith & Louis Prima did have a patina of "cool" which Steve & Eydie never did.

We had a great thread on Eydie just recently with lost of good clips.

In a radio interview, Keely said she wouldn't sing anything with the word "heart." For an unknown reason she couldn't pronounce it while singing.

Who says Sinatra treated them like shit?

Their son, Michael, died at 23 of ventricular fibrillation from an undiagnosed heart condition Gormé and Lawrence were in Atlanta at the time of his death, performing at the Fox Theater the night before. Frank Sinatra, a family friend, sent his private plane to fly the couple to New York to meet their other son, David, who was attending school.

R20, I don't think anyone said Sinatra treated them like shit, they did say that it was a running bit on SNL in the late '80s that Sinatra (as played by Phil Hartman) treated Steve and Eydie (Mike Meyers and Victoria Jackson) like shit...

Steve and Eydie were guests of my swinging grandparents in Acapulco. Steve was swinging big meat.

[quote]She's as good as Barbra and Liza.

Maybe Liza. But, then again, so are most household pets.

On learning that they were in GR, someone said, "Good. Now I can miss them both at the same time."

OP thx. She's terrific.

Her Spanish pronunciation is very good. Much better than Selena's.

Steve had a lovely smooth voice, but she was the one with real standout talent. She was seven years older than he was, though, and looked it--she did not age well for some reason (she was quite pretty in the fifties when she was a star).

They were both part of that fake Vegas-sy culture that also included the Rat Pack, though they were not really members, and Joey Heatherton and Lola Falana and Liza. The great comedians of the 70s and 80s (the SCTV crowd and the SNL crowd) made constant fun of all of them for their cheesiness and insincerity, so that if you grew up during that time loving Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Dave Thomas, Joe Flaherty, Phil Hartman, etc. you could never take those Vegas entertainers seriously ever again. Those Vegas people did ruin their images with all the cheese, though. It does not surprise me at all they've been replaced by Donny and Marie, who are also so awesomely insincere.

Vegas was a stench on singers back in their prime, even though there was money to be made there. The singers who based themselves in Vegas like Jim Nabors and, esp. Wayne Newton were jokes or in Nabors' case a fave of old women.

Comics didn't to get as much Vegas stench on them, maybe because most of them just a few weeks there a year. Gorme had a great voice but not always great material. She and Steve Lawrence were mainstays of variety shows and talk shows. Given that Burnett had the last successful, long running variety show, of course, they were glowing there while they were being mocked elsewhere.

Gorme's brother Isidore Gormezano was a famous psychology researcher who did work on learning. He was the best friend and classmate of one of my professors. From all reports, Eydie was no slouch intellectually either., although it didn't stop her from lapsing into self-parody.

How come the Rat Pack and Sinatra weren't jokes for playing Vegas?

They weren't?

Weren't they considered pretty cool in the early '60s and had hit movies?

Sinatra was invincible because of his talent and history. Dean Martin had his successful TV show. It's Sammy Davis and Peter Lawford that became the jokes.

"Golden Rainbow" was originally based on the Frank Sinatra movie (and its predecessor play) "A Hole In the Head," which gave us the immortal "High Hopes."

powerful instrument

Steve and Edie were not considered jokes back in their salad days. They were big stars of the time.

Her voice and technical skills were better the Streisand but she lacked the it factor that Babs has. Plus she just refused to modernize her material. She would have had a much bigger career if she changed her name, didn't marry that schlockmeister Steve, and occasionally pushed the envelope a little. She found her comfort zone and stuck with it. To the end.

They were a JOKE because Eydie let Steve be the leader - as singer, actor and personality. In reality, he basically rode on her coattails because SHE was the talent, he was just another male crooner. She was content and took care of her kids. Steve was eight years younger than Eydie btw, in the 1960s they had his DOB 1936. Eydie's was listed as 1931, when it was really 1928.

"She's as good as Barbra and Liza."

LOL, you say that as if Liza was equal to Streisand and Eydie. NOT.

Liza was. Watch her older concerts. She commanded a stage in a way that very few have done. Watch her Giants Stadium performance. Not even Streisand could do that.

She was never really able to shoehorn that talent onto records though.

LOL that's why I didn't include Liza in my opinion piece at R37. Liza is no doubt a great talent but to compare her singing skills to Eydie is a fucking joke.

The Rat Packers WERE all considered jokes by the mid-70s. Sammy Davis's TV talk show was pretty much his death knell as a serious performer (not one but two longrunning different SCTV routines were based on his maudlin and bizarre appearance on that show: Sammy Maudlin, and Jackie Rogers, Jr.), and Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford had been washed up before then. Sinatra was considered a joke by the mid-Eighties: it started with Joe Piscopo's imitation of him( which was conceived of as a loving tribute, but was taken as a mockery of his ego), and then Phil Hartman's, which exposed him as a bully and a dinosaur.

What really did Sinatra in at the same time was Kitty Kelly's "His Way," which was a huge bestseller in 1986. There had been rumors and even direct attacks in things like "Doonesbury" about his Mafia connections, his poor treatment of his mistresses, and his bad behavior on sets, but Kelley really popularized what a monster he could be.

[quote]What really did Sinatra in at the same time was Kitty Kelly's "His Way," which was a huge bestseller in 1986. There had been rumors and even direct attacks in things like "Doonesbury" about his Mafia connections, his poor treatment of his mistresses, and his bad behavior on sets, but Kelley really popularized what a monster he could be.

Don't forget his Catholic mother, the neighborhood abortionist everyone called "Hatpin Dolly."

Sure, R40. But "commanding a a stage" is not being a SINGER. Liza is not a very good singer, so she can't compete with Streisand and Eydie. I you think she can, make your case. Thanks, bye.

R20, you must know, and if you don't listen up, that Sinatra was accustomed to grandiose gestures like sending money and/or his private plane to other celebs in need especially if he hadn't seen or talked to them in a decade. Other wealthy people did that too; it must be some ego/power trip.

Watching Liza at the Statue Of Liberty concert is one of the greatest performances I've ever seen. She had that audience in the palm of her hand.

R40/R45, This thread is about a SINGER, Eydie Gorme. It's not about a Liza worshiper who cannot admit she could not/ cannot SING. Start your own thread on Queen Liza.

OP: Steve & Eydie were total show business, talented and very well-liked.

Eydie singing "What Did I Have I Don't Have Now" is pure gold.

[quote] and very well-liked.

As you'll read above, not according to William Goldman.

Carolekelly Bishop workin' a boa.......

Steve WAS a big star. He had a number one hit with "Go Away, Little Girl".

[quote]But "commanding a a stage" is not being a SINGER

You're just trolling. Liza's voice is excellent live, and one of the key reasons why she is so respected as an entertainer.

[quote]make your case.

AMPAS, the recording industry, the broadway community and the television academy already made it by bestowing her with every major award out there. Five Tonys for best musical performance for someone who can't sing? Please.

Kindly amuse us all and tell us why Edyie Gorme should be placed next to Streisand on the pantheon of talent. This place could use the laughs. Blame it on the Bossa Nova is such a distinguished work of art, a masterclass in singing.

I don't think anyone is saying that Liza isn't a good singer and performer. She is. Plus she can do a lot of things that Streisand and Gorme can't. The fact is though that she isn't on par vocally with them. I can post video after video that proves Gorme is as good as or better than Streisand and I don't even particularly care for Grome but I admire her talent. Greatly. Liza could never do this and arguably neither could Streisand do it as well. Like Johnny says she just stands there and sings. There's video after video of her doing this. Show me one where Liza comes anywhere close to this.

Here's Steve & Eydie shortly before they descended into parody

With Steve Allen (who wrote the song - the original Tonight Show theme), Ann Sothern and Dinah Shore.

That's not Frank.

Sinatra never became a joke. He was joked about that's for sure, but nothing could topple his legacy. Joe Piscopo? Oh please. Sinatra's ego, bad behavior, and Mafia connections were already legend by the 1960s. Didn't matter. In the 1990s performers were still lining up to do those duet albums and pay tribute: Barbra, Aretha, Bennett, Carly Simon, Bono, Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, Linda Ronstadt, Lena Horne, Jobim...not bad for a "joke". And in the 1990s what was Joe Piscopo doing?

R53 Liza But the World Goes Around from New York, New York.

Streisand Didn't We and My Man from Live at the Forum.

Both could be put up against that any day of the week

Joe Piscopo adored Sinatra. He also thought Phil's impersonation was too bitter and mean spirited.

R51 so did I!

Someone once told me that when the Yankees win a home game, they play Sinatra's rendition of "New York, New York," and if they lose they play Liza's version.

Hey Liza and Barbra freaks: this thread is about

[bold]M E ![/bold]

Liza had her moments as a great entertainer and although I'm no great Eydie Gorme fan, Eydie was by far the better singer. Not on par with Barbra but a better and more versatile singer than Liza. Liza was kind of her own (fabulous) thing.

oh no she didn't

I first learned of Steve & Eydie on an episode of THE NANNY. I thought they were a made-up act for the show, because Steve Lawrence later came back to play Fran's father.

During the Broadway run of What Makes Sammy Run?, Steve had an affair with co-star Sally Ann Howes, but Eydie forgave him.

R55, I'll bet you weren't even born when Sinatra became a joke in the 1980s. YES, he did, especially right after the dreaded Trilogy 3-set LP. In the 80s, his voice was shot, he couldn't remember his lines-words, his style was hopelessly dated. Sinatra wasn't as much a joke as Sammy Davis, but it was close.

The Duets CDs were a reprise (pardon the expression) of Sinatra's career. Though how he got all of those singing stars to duet with him when he literally phoned it in is a mystery, perhaps they wanted thinking he would die any minute. Lena Horne hated Sinatra's guts...maybe she was hard up for cash.

R64, no. Steve was gay.

[quote]Her Spanish-language records sold better in Mexico and South America than her English-language records did in the US.

And they're quite beautiful, genuine classics.

Steve Lawrence is NOT a fag... and I am the dame who can prove it!

R66 Of course!

R65

I never thought of Sammy Davis as a joke. He could still belt a song unlike Frank.

R65 If you really want to know, I saw "A Hole in the Head" as a little kid in 1959. So you figure it out. Gee...why did those singers decide to do the duet albums. Not one ..but two of them? Hard one to figure out isn't it? The only one who thought Sinatra's style was "hopelessly outdated" were people who know nothing. To the pros his style was timeless. He was an icon. Despite the fact his voice was gone and he wasn't even in the studio with those singers, the duet albums were a commercial success. 3 million copies sold in the US alone for the first one. Duets II placed #9 on the Billboard albums chart. Not bad for a washed up joke.

R70, you must be Sammy from the grave

R65 why did Lena Horne hate Sinatra? Was it from their time at MGM?

R73, Sinatra broke the color barrier at The Stork Club when he took Lena Horne there as his date.

Much love to OP. Eydie had an incredible voice. I agree with whoever said she was as good as Barbra and Liza. She certainly had the pipes.

"Tonight I'll say a prayer for you wherever you may be......and hope that when I wake tomorrow, you'll be here with me....."

And Eydie never received even the camp/ironic props she deserved. She never became, say, a DL icon. I'm bothered by this.

Did she write a gorme cookbook?

Eydie was the producers' first choice to play Fanny Brice in Funny Girl.

As a kid in the 1960s, I used to listen to this Steve & Eydie album my parents had. I think it helped inform my musical tastes and aesthetic.

"ABCDEFGH I got a GAAAALLLLL in KALamazoo!"

[quote]And Eydie never received even the camp/ironic props she deserved. She never became, say, a DL icon. I'm bothered by this.

She was part of a duo, so there's that. And her private life was really unknown. There was nothing eccentric about her. She was a good singer but there was nothing else particularly interesting about her.

R79 She could have handled the songs easily, but not sure she had the emotional oomph of Barbra.

[quote] I never thought of Sammy Davis as a joke.

We did.

A long extended joke.

[quote]Why didn't people in show biz seem to like them while Carol Burnett adored them?

Huh? Everyone in show biz liked Steve and Eydie, and everyone with great taste in singers thought Eydie was hugely talented. Buy yourself a copy of "Eydie Swings the Blues" and find out why.

I saw Steve and Eydie perform in Little Rock in the late 1980s. My god, she had a foul mouth, which was pretty shocking for a city that some locals called the buckle of the Bible Belt.

[quote] Liza could never do this and arguably neither could Streisand do it as well.

But Rose Marie could do it even better.

In William Goldman's book The Season, he laments the fact that Steve Lawrence had real acting talent and he could have been a legit musical theater star if he hadn't been saddled with Eydie. I saw Steve up close in person once. He has amazingly blue eyes.

She was no galloping gourmet.

Why did the Neo-cons stage 9/11?

I always knew Steve and Eydie were up to no good R89

r87: Goldman was right. Steve had great comic timing in his skits on the Carol Burnett show . Eydie, bless her, could not act for beans.

After GOLDEN RAINBOW and WHAT MAKES SAMMY RUN, Steve & Eydie seldom performed in NYC , preferring to tour in smaller cities and venues like the Westbury Music Fair and Grossingers in addition to Vegas.

I know Jackie Hoffman doesn't get a lot of love here, but I will always love her for saying THIS was the greatest concert she ever attended , and better than anything on Broadway:

Steve and Eydie's Gershwin medley . . .

Lovely, just lovely.

R73, must we go through this again? After Frank got with Ava Gardner in the late 1940s, he and Lena started hating each other - jealousy was the culprit. He thought that Lena and Ava had had an affair, and he hated her like he hated all of her exes. Lena hated Frank because he took Ava away from her, thought he was wrong for Ava, and/or felt sorry for big Nancy...take your pick. It was way too personal to be anything simple. They appeared together on a 1960 TV show, and Sinatra could not hide his disgust. Lena was a trooper and gave a good performance so she looked good. FS and LH also appeared as headliners on the bill in New York at a big benefit show in 1964 - more backstage feuding.

Truly love Eydie's lime green and purple "apartment" in R62. Amazing how they built a whole set and drama around the performance.

And wow, the pipes! You can tell she was trying to outdo Barbra.

Streisand also hated Sinatra, but that didn't stop her from appearing on Duets. I think it was because both were singing for Columbia Records.

When I was in junior high in the 70s, a music teacher told me there was some secret trove of duets that Barbra and Eydie had recorded together. Then again, this particular teacher was a bit of a liar.

Eydie has a Jill Zarin look to her.

Not much Eydie here, but its Steve, Merman and Bob Hope who is surprisingly, amazingly charming and sweet. In an imagined 'rehearsal' from RED, HOT AND BLUE, Steve and Bob sing and dance to "It's De-Lovely" (Steve: "I'll do Ethels part") With Hope wrapping his arms around Steves waist , it's adorably gay, and not played for laughs. Ethel walks down the theater aisle joining in - Steve: "You never told me there was another woman." Hope: "Don't make a scene. You can have custody of the piano." Hope and Merman continue the song including both the rarely performed verses and second chorus - for the first time since 1936.

Part of "Steve & Eydie: From this Moment On", a smartly done Cole Porter tribute done for British TV in 1977 (directed by Dwight Hemion, who helmed the early Streisand specials) .

....

She had a wonderful voice. But Streisand's is more expressive and the timbre more beautiful. I also think Streisand is the better vocal artist. If you really want to hear Streisand at her best as a singer, it's not in her "hits". It's in on or two songs per CD or album, or a throwaway. Ever hear "How Are Things in Glocca Mora (sp?), or Auld Ang Syne on her 2000 concert CD. Or Since I Fell for You or Alfie (on the 2000 concert CD), or Falling Leaves on her early french album, or I Remember Spring on her second Xmas album... or "Be Aware" on a Bachrach TV special about 1970. Edie also was at her peak when saloon singing and standards were considered musak in the age of rock, soul, and all the innovations at once in popular music. Edie was "square". Barbra delved into popular music trends just enough to keep her front and center. Her voice was such that she could adapt it almost at will. Of course her best, like Edie, is straight forward singing of good song- mostly ballads.

Eydie sings Sondheim!

I love Eydie, but I think she oversells it. The glitzy arrangement does her and the song no favors .

This is much, much better. Arranged by Don Costa.

Would have loved to hear more Sondheim from Eydie & Steve. She would have aced "I'm Still here" and "Losing My Mind", and Steve & Eydie performing "It's The Little Things You Do Together" might have been ...really interesting.

At Sinatra’s funeral, Steve was a pallbearer. Both Steve and Eydie were close friends of Sinatra and his children.

R102 Beautifully sung. I'm not a big fan of her sound, but that's lovely.

Agree with r100. Compare Eydie's beautiful version of "How About Me"" to Streisand's sublime version (IMHO, the finest recording she ever made).

Eydies version was recorded in 1966 and Barbras a year later for the cancelled soundtrack to "The Belle of Fourteenth Street" - it was only released in 1974.

Arrangement by Peter Matz.

No wonder "Golden Rainbow" was a flop. That title makes no sense.

She had a beautiful, clear voice as evidenced here.

Peggy Lee's voice did not match Eydie's, but Lee appeared in Vegas and Basin Street East, the venue for jazz singers. And Peggy Lee sold more records than Steve and Eydie - by far.

Streisand is in great voice in On a Clear Day but she absolutely ruins What Did I Have to get as far away as possible from Eydie's interpretation which understandably was already a classic in the late 60s. First she talk sings it then she turns into motor mouth for the repeat. She perversely drains all the poignancy from the song.

Is it true that the creators of the show Flora The Red Menace wanted Wydie for the lead until Liza auditioned for it? Eydie’s voice was sublime and her Spanish songs are so romantic

Eydie had bigger pipes, r109, Peggy had more style.

Eydie Gormé vs. Idi Amin: Compare and Contrast.

Idi had more soul but Eydie had the cute white girl thing going.

None of them could hold a candle to Vicki Carr!

115 responses and no one has brought up her fabulous 'dos?

This look was a little [italic]jeune fille[/italic] for Eydie, but props for continued hairdo innovation in her near-autumn years.

The "Mamie Bangs" years

Upholstery fringe eyelashes NEVER go out of style, r117!

Only one top ten hit. Blame it on the Bossa Nova.

I say if you can't make it to at least #5 why bother. How embarrassing for her

Eydie did a lot of Spanish-language tunes. Why was that again? Some sort of Spanish heritage?

Speaking of Vikki Carr (a Latina artist herself), she and Eydie both did these agonized wronged-woman songs around the same time:

"I'll smile when Johnny asks me why you are so late....I'll tell him Daddy's busy....but I'll wonder and worry and waiiiiiitttt...." (Tonight I'll Say A Prayer)

"Let it please be him, oh dear goooodddd, it MUST be him, but it's not him, and then I die......" (Let it be him)

"Can you take good care of Jenny... can you take her to school every day?" - (With Pen in Hand, about signing divorce papers)

Eydie's father was Italian and her mother Turkish.

I saw Flora, the Red Menace in Boston, before Broadway. Liza Minnelli was the right choice.

Whoever said Eydie graduated HS at 15 is confused. You see, Eydie used to take 3-4 years off her age , subsequently it looked like she graduated much too young. In reality, she was a healthy 18. The reason she youthen herself probably had to do with the fact that Steve was five or so years younger.

Steve (b. 1935) was 7 years younger than Eydie (b. 1928).

Here's how I rank it:

Best All Around Entertainer: 1. Liza 2. Barbra(a very close second) 3. Eydie(very distant third)

Best Vocalist: 1. Eydie 2. Barbra(nearly a tie for first and wouldn't really argue with anyone who put her tied for first) 3. Liza

Most Charismatic and in Touch with the Audience and Showed the Most Growth to Stay Relevant: 1. Barbra 2. Barbra 3. Barbra

R126, You really need to include Shirley Bassey.

Well I was just going with the flow of the top three mentioned in the thread.

More of my exceptionally meaningful rankings!

Greatest living musician ever: 1) Barbra 2) Paganini

Greatest queen in all of human history: 1) Barbra (of all music) 2) Catherine II (of Russia) 3) Maria Theresa (of the Hapsburg Empire)

Most worthy of sainthood: 1) Barbra 2) Francis of Assisi 3) Joan of Arc

Greatest paradigm of human perfection: (tie) 1) Jesus 1) Barbra

R129 are you Nanny Fine by any chance?

If you’re an eldergay who was a child in the mid-60s, your parents’ record rack probably held Eydie Gormé's Don’t Go to Strangers LP, which is an amazing album. Not only does it include OP's "What Did I Have That I Don't Have" and the above-mentioned "How About Me?", it also included her Grammy-winning recording of "If He Walked Into My Life". As Eydie sings it, it’s a powerhouse torchy ballad. Fabulous. I get a little sentimental hearing it because the album was such a part of the soundtrack of my childhood.

Jerry Herman is eternally grateful that Eydie had such a hit record with "If He Walked Into My Life".

He feels equally about Louis Armstrong and "Hello, Dolly!".

[quote]Jerry Herman is eternally grateful that Eydie had such a hit record with "If He Walked Into My Life".

I think she won the Grammy for that.

The truth is that Eydie's voice was as great and in some ways superior to Streisand's in range and power and technique. But the tone of a voice can't ever be replicated or explained. Babra wins for that golden warm buzz and her specific vibrato that spins even mediocre notes into space.

Gorme sang higher and better. Her vocal tone was much more brassy and her vibrato was more pronounced and strident. But she also sang more naturally and with better musical sense. (Streisand is rhythmically challenged) There are at least twelve moments of vocal thrills in this long live medley from Gorme. And all the rest is intricate and beautifully sung. I think she was in her mid forties? She had a spectacular instrument. She sang What I Did For Love with about 5 key changes and all the legato and belting notes in the world on this same show - but I can't find that video.

Watch for the end and that spectacular last run up note. G#5.

R87 I saw his "Hamlet" in Wilkes Barre. There are no words...

R94 you're a regular martyr, a Christian martyr! The patience of Job. Bless you!

R129 wow! What did Paganini play when you heard him?

One of her Spanish hits

Steve was just diagnosed with Alzheimers.

“Dear Friends, There have been a number of rumors and some press reaching out to me and I feel it’s important that I tell my own truth,” he wrote in the letter obtained by PEOPLE. “I have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and it’s in the early stages. I am being treated with medications under the supervision of some of the finest doctors in the field. Fortunately, they have managed to slow down this horrific process. I’m living my life, going out in public and trying to spend as much time as possible with my family and friends while I am still able to engage and enjoy.” He continued: “I want my beloved fans to know that in spite of this bittersweet moment, what I don’t want is pity or sympathy — I have lived and am living a wonderful, joyous life filled with love, support, and amazing moments. With my beloved Eydie, I had one of the great loves of all time; my career has always been there for me as a source of joy and fulfillment; and you, my fans, have shown immeasurable love and support in ways I only could have imagined.” “As I continue this journey, I ask for your prayers, your good wishes and implore you to find the joy every day, because what I feel is gratitude, love and hope — nothing more and nothing less, and I hope you can find the same,” he concluded. “With love, Steve Lawrence.”

Poor Steve. He sounds very brave, but I wouldn't wish that fate on anyone. He and Eydie were a class act.

What actually happens with alzheimer's? Do you simply forget things?

That's how it starts. Then your brain eventually turns to pudding and you become a vegetable. I would drink a hemlock cocktail.

R139, Steve, darling, I hope you'll never forget our fling during the run of What Makes Sammy Run?

R141, you start forgetting how to use a toothbrush, eventually you don't recognize your own face in the mirror.

Luckily Steve has family and a shitload of $ in the bank to pay for professional day-to-day care. It will be good if he dies before the Alzheimers completely takes over. My grandfather had a heart attack and died at 85 just as it was beginning. A friend's mother has had a several form of dementia for ten years, and is wasting away in a nursing home.

"had a several form of dementia" S/B "had a severe form of dementia"