Death's been busy lately. In the last 48 hours alone, we've lost some talented folks.
Country singer Daryle Singletary may not be a household name now, but he was a fixture on the charts dating back about 20-25 years. Passed away at 46.
Crooner Vic Damone got a ringing endorsement from no less than Frank Sinatra himself early in his career, especially considering he was one of many who modeled their singing styles after "The Chairman of the Board". More modern audiences might remember that he was married for a time to actress-singer Diahann Carroll (ex-Julia, Dynasty). Damone was 89 when he was called home.
And then, there's Marty Allen.
World War II veteran. Actor. Comedian. Humanitarian. Allen outlived his former partner, singer-comic Steve Rossi, and was still very active in civic and social causes when he passed away Monday at 95 from pneumonia.
What you might not realize is that Allen was not just a comic actor. He could do drama, too. An example of this comes from season 4 of The Big Valley. Allen plays a hapless fellow named Waldo Diefendorfer, who lands a job on the Barkley ranch. Here's "The Jonah":
Up in Heaven, Marty will be saying, "Hello dere", for the rest of his life. Rest in peace, gentlemen.
Marty was a fixture in Vegas - not just as a performer but as a local. He was very much loved and will be missed. My did even met him on line at the local bank! He said he was polite and looked older than he did on TV (but Marty was in his 80s by then so...). Dad said the hair was real! He still wore it up!!
ReplyDeleteAs noted, he stayed active in civic causes in recent years, so there was a sharp mind behind that comic persona.
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