Eddie Fisher

Edwin Jack Fisher (August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010) was an American singer and actor. He was one of the most popular artists during the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show, The Eddie Fisher Show.^[1] Actress Elizabeth Taylor was best friends with Fisher's first wife, actress Debbie Reynolds. After Taylor's third husband, Mike Todd, was killed in a plane crash, Fisher divorced Reynolds and he and Taylor married that same year. The scandalous affair that Fisher and Taylor had been having while each was already married was widely reported and brought unfavorable publicity to both Fisher and Taylor. Approximately five years later, he and Taylor divorced and he later married Connie Stevens. Fisher is the father of Carrie Fisher and Todd Fisher, whose mother is Reynolds, and the father of Joely Fisher and Tricia Leigh Fisher, whose mother is Stevens.

Early life

Fisher was born in Philadelphia on August 10, 1928, the fourth of seven children born to Gitte Kathrine "Kate" Tisch (née Minicker, later Stup; c.1901–1991) and Joseph Fisher (né Tisch; 1900–1972), both

Fisher's good looks and strong, melodious tenor voice made him a teen idol and one of the most popular singers of the early 1950s. He had 17 songs in the Top 10 on the music charts between 1950 and 1956 and 35 in the Top 40. In 1953, "Any Time" became his first record to sell a million copies, followed soon after by "I'm Walking Behind You".^[13] In 1957 he signed a then record $1 million deal with the newly opened Tropicana Las Vegas to appear there a minimum of 4 weeks a year for 5 years.^[14]

In 1956, Fisher costarred with then-wife

Beginning in fall 1959, Fisher established two scholarships at Brandeis University, one for classical and one for popular music, in the name of Eddie Cantor.^[16]

In 1960, RCA Victor dropped him and he briefly recorded on his own label, Ramrod Records. He later recorded for

Fisher created interest as a pop culture icon. Betty Johnson's "I Want Eddie Fisher For Christmas", containing references to a number of hit songs, reached No. 28 in the Music Vendor national survey during an 11-week chart run in late 1954.

Fisher has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for recording, at 6241 Hollywood Boulevard, and one for television, at 1724 Vine Street.

Personal life

Fisher had five marriages and four children:

• Debbie Reynolds (September 26, 1955 – May 12, 1959; divorced)
  • Carrie Fisher
  • Todd Fisher
• Elizabeth Taylor (May 12, 1959 – March 5, 1964; divorced)
• Connie Stevens (February 9, 1967 – June 12, 1969; divorced)
  • Joely Fisher
  • Tricia Leigh Fisher
• Terry Richard (October 29, 1975 – April 1, 1976; divorced)
• Betty Lin (July 14, 1993 – April 15, 2001; her death)

In 1981, Fisher wrote an

While performing at The Tropicana Hotel in 1957, Fisher had numerous affairs with women which contributed to his turbulent marriage to Debbie Reynolds. One of his notable affairs was with model Pat Sheehan. They eventually parted ways after Fisher refused to divorce Reynolds.^[18] He would divorce Reynolds two years later and marry Elizabeth Taylor.

When she was interviewed, Debbie Reynolds said that she could understand being dumped "for the world's most beautiful woman", referring to Taylor, who was previously a close friend. Taylor and Reynolds later resumed their friendship and mocked Fisher in a

Fisher supported Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1964 United States presidential election.^[22]

Death

Fisher suffered from knee, back, hearing, and eyesight problems in his later years, the last of which were worsened by complications stemming from cataract removal surgery, and he rarely appeared in public. According to friends, he remained mentally vigorous and kept himself busy watching television, following news and politics, and singing his old songs while friend George Michalski played the piano. Michalski had worked on several occasions over the years to help Fisher get his name back on the music charts. He said "The '60s passed Eddie by; he missed that entire era of music. I'd play a Beatles song like "Something" for him and he'd think I wrote it."

Fisher fell and broke his hip on September 9, 2010, and died 13 days later on September 22, 2010, at his home in Berkeley, California, from complications from hip surgery, at the age of 82.^[15] His ashes were interred at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park next to his wife Betty Lin who died in 2001.

Discography

Hit songs

Albums

• RCA Victor
  1952)
• I'm in the Mood for Love (RCA Victor 1952/55)
• Christmas with Eddie Fisher (10-inch album) (RCA Victor 1952)
• Eddie Fisher Sings Irving Berlin Favorites (10-inch album) (RCA Victor 1954)
• May I Sing to You? (RCA Victor 1954/55)
• I Love You (RCA Victor 1955)
• Eddie Fisher Sings Academy Award Winning Songs (RCA Victor 1955)
• Bundle of Joy (film soundtrack) (RCA Victor 1956)
• As Long as There's Music (RCA Victor 1958)
• Scent of Mystery (film soundtrack) (Ramrod 1960)
• Eddie Fisher at the Winter Garden (Ramrod 1963)
• Eddie Fisher Today! (Dot 1965)
• When I Was Young (Dot 1965) (re-recordings of his RCA Victor hits)
• Mary Christmas (Dot 1965)
• Games That Lovers Play (RCA Victor 1966)
• People Like You (RCA Victor 1967)
• You Ain't Heard Nothing Yet (RCA Victor 1968)
• After All (Bainbridge Records 1984)