Grandma Lee
Grandma Lee | |
---|---|
Birth name | Frances Lee Myers |
Born | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. | May 29, 1934
Died | April 24, 2020 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. | (aged 85)
Medium | Stand-up comedy |
Alma mater | Otterbein University |
Years active | 1997–2020 |
Spouse |
Ben Strong
(m. 1958; died 1995) |
Children | 4 |
Frances Lee Strong
Early life
Frances Lee Myers was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma,[4][5][6] and grew up in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, where her father was a college dean. After he died when she was 12, the family fell apart, and she eventually landed in a children's home in Kentucky.[7] In 1956, she graduated with a degree in English education from Otterbein University in Ohio.[8][9]
Career
After college in 1958, Myers married a career
Lee Strong and her husband were living in Homestead, Florida, in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew destroyed their home. They moved to Jacksonville, where Ben died of cancer in 1995. They had been married for 37 years. Strong later took a buyout from BellSouth, where she was working as a phone operator.[10]
Strong began doing stand-up comedy in 1997,[9] performing at open mic nights at The Comedy Zone in Jacksonville.[11] In Tampa in 2004, she reached the final rounds of auditions for Last Comic Standing.[12][13]
In 2009, Strong rose to prominence as a contestant on
Death
Strong died at age 85 on April 24, 2020, at an assisted living facility in Jacksonville.[18][19]
References
- ^
- "Senior Moments". Tampa Bay Times. June 3, 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
Potty-mouthed Frances Lee Strong made a name for herself on America's Got Talent last year zinging raunchy jokes about judge Piers Morgan and has since done standup comedy around the nation.
- "Obituary for Kevin Ray Strong at Teahen Funeral Home". www.teahenfuneralhome.com. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- "Senior Moments". Tampa Bay Times. June 3, 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ Katsilometes, John (May 4, 2010). "Closing in on 76, Grandma Lee is speaking the universal language". Las Vegas Sun. Archived from the original on March 21, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
- ^ Nunez, Mike (November 16, 2016). "Like the reality show, Grandma Lee's 'Got Talent'". Florida Today. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ a b Kennedy, Patti (Winter 1998). "Frances Lee Myers Strong '56 comes to the comedy spotlight late in life". Towers. Office of College Relation of Otterbein College. pp. 10–11. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- ^ "Grandma Lee". NBC.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2009.
- ^ a b Silverman, Sandy (May 10, 2010). "It is Never Too Late to Live Your Dream!". VegasNewsChannel.com. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ Sickler, Linda (October 1, 2015). "Forget baking cookies or watching the kids, Grandma Lee is here to make you laugh". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ a b Harrington, Jeana (Fall 2009). "This Grandma's Wit and Verve has taken her to the Big Time". Towers. Office of Marketing & Communications of Otterbein College. p. 27. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- ^ a b c Maile, Kelly (July 2, 2015). "Grandma Lee to bring the humor". Kent Record-Courier. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ a b Bull, Roger (September 1, 2009). "Jacksonville's Grandma Lee shows she's 'Got Talent' — tonight on NBC". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ Crumpler, David (November 20, 2012). "Jacksonville comedian Grandma Lee to perform at The Comedy Zone". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ "Princess Superstar, The Audition, Jay Anthony and more". Orlando Weekly. December 15, 2005. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Harris, Vincent (March 7, 2018). "At 83, Grandma Lee Keeps Her Comedy Sharp". Free Times. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ a b Davis, Dillon (March 30, 2015). "'America's Got Talent' finalist Grandma Lee draws hearty laughs during Muskegon performance". MLive.com. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ Bull, Roger (September 17, 2009). "Grandma Lee loses on 'America's Got Talent'". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ "Will comedian Grandma Lee win America's Got Talent?". Punchline. September 3, 2009. Archived from the original on January 25, 2010. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
- ^ "'AGT' Star and Comedian Grandma Lee Dead at 85". TMZ. April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ Mier, Tomas (April 24, 2020). "America's Got Talent Finalist Grandma Lee Dies at 85: 'Heaven Just Got a Whole Lot Funnier'". People. Retrieved April 25, 2020.