Eddie Fisher
Born Edwin Jack Fisher on
Aug. 10, 1928
in Philadelphia, PA
Died
Sept. 22, 2010
of complications from hip surgery in Berkeley, CA
Eddie Fisher was a crooner perhaps best known for his glamorous wives. In the 1950s, Fisher bridged the gap between Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley as a teen singing idol. For years after, he still ranked high in terms of record sales. During the '60s and '70s, he headlined in Las Vegas. In his heyday, he hosted his own TV show, before he won tabloid notoriety with his divorce from Debbie Reynolds. Known as America's sweetheart, Reynolds, only 26, was abandoned by Fisher for another woman. Not just any woman, but the most beautiful woman in the world: Elizabeth Taylor — Cleopatra incarnate. At the time, the story was considered in Hollywood to be the scandal of the century. It permanently destroyed Fisher's career, and at the same time catapulted Taylor to femme fatale superstardom. Taylor was the widow of his good friend Mike Todd, who had died in a plane crash, and the couples had been friendly. Reynolds was left to care for the couple’s young children. "All those romances took too much energy," said the graying singer in 1990, when he had recently undergone a liposuction operation to avoid having to go on stage with a potbelly. "I was only married three times [to Reynolds, Taylor and Connie Stevens] for a total of 6 1/2 years," Fisher once said. "But living with a woman is just like marriage." He later married twice more, first to Terry Richard, whom he divorced after a year, and then to Betty Lin, from 1993 until her death in 2001. Over the years he also was involved with Judy Garland and Ann-Margret. "It's good to be romantic," Fisher said. "But before you do anything, you've got to work. Romance is for kids. There are times when everything is perfect, but it doesn't last." His relationship with his children was often distant. Actress Carrie Fisher, his daughter with Reynolds, said her father's tell-all 1999 book, "Been There, Done That," actually prompted her mother and her to make peace with Taylor. "My father's book was very upsetting for all of us, and it made all of us better friends," Carrie Fisher said in 2001. "I understand on a certain level that he really felt like he lost his career because he left my mother for Elizabeth Taylor, but what he did [in writing the book] was something you don't do. He was incredibly unkind."
|
Related stars
|
|
Points of interest
Permalink
|
Delicious
|
Digg
|
Facebook
|
Twitter
|
Enjoy more stories like this for 
Four thoughts about Eddie Fisher
In 1991 I produced a show in Palm Springs with Eddie Fisher. I thought he would be a sellout there in a very Jewish community. We did two shows and lost a lot of money. People didn't buy tickets. They couldn't forgive him for his past. He was absolutely amazing, sang just as he always had. When I was 14 years old I saw Eddie perform in St. Louis. After the show I went to the back of the theatre and plowed my way up to his car that he was in with his then fiancee Debbie Reynolds. I said kiss me Eddie and he replied save your kisses for somone else honey. When I met him in Palm Springs for a press conference a few weeks before the show and introduced myself as his producer he was blown away by my attractive appearance. So I told him the story of when I was 14 and he grabbed me and kissed me fulfilling a young girl's dream.
I once saw Eddie, about 10 years ago, walking by himself in Berkeley. I recognized him from a story that the Oakland Tribune or SF Chronicle had posted.
I didn't want to bother him, so I made eye contact and gave him a thumbs up. He smiled, threw one back and kept going.
Great singer, RIP
I saw Eddie Fisher perform at the Waldorf Astoria when he was married to Elizabeth Taylor. I thought he was wonderful. I've always been a fan and sorry his career ended so soon. He had so much talent.
After 13 years as a fan of the greatest popular music singer ever, I finally met him in 1964 when he played Melodyland. My girlfriend and I got to visit with him in his dressing room after the show, and he was just incredibly gracious to us. I will always have a special place in my heart for Eddie, and am so glad there is a thing called "YouTube," where I have spent many hours since he passed away, listening to that glorious voice ... remembering how it comforted a lonely little Texas girl almost 60 years ago ...
Share a thought about Eddie Fisher
Did you ever meet Eddie Fisher? Share your memory.
Which other stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame have connections to Eddie Fisher?
Are other places in the world important to Eddie Fisher?
Does Eddie Fisher deserve this star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?