Steve Lawrence
Lawrence in 1999
Background information
Birth name: Sidney Liebowitz
Born: July 8, 1935 (age 86); New York City, U.S.
Steve Lawrence (born
Sidney Liebowitz; July 8, 1935) is an American singer and actor, best known as a member of a duo with his wife Eydie Gormé, billed as "Steve and Eydie." The two first appeared together as regulars on
Tonight Starring Steve Allen in 1954 and continued performing as a duo until Gormé's retirement in 2009. Gormé died August 10, 2013.
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Personal life
Lawrence and Gormé with sons David (left) and Michael (right). Gene Kelly is also pictured with his son, Tim (left) and daughter, Bridget (right). Kelly was a guest on the couple's 1975 television special, "Our Love Is Here to Stay".
Lawrence and Gormé married on December 29, 1957, at the El Rancho Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. They had two sons together; David Nessim Lawrence (b. 1960) is an ASCAP Award-winning composer, who composed the score for
High School Musical, and Michael Robert Lawrence (19621986), who died suddenly from ventricular fibrillation resulting from an undiagnosed heart condition at the age of 23. Michael was an assistant editor for a television show at the time of his death and was apparently healthy despite a previous diagnosis of slight arrhythmia.
Gormé and Lawrence were in Atlanta, Georgia, at the time of Michael's death, having performed at the Fox Theater the night before. Upon learning of the death, family friend Frank Sinatra sent his private plane to fly the couple to New York to meet David, who was attending school at the time. Following their son's death, Gormé and Lawrence took a year off before touring again.
On August 10, 2013, Eydie Gormé died.
In June 2019, following public speculation about his health, Lawrence announced that he was in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease and that treatment to slow its progression had so far been successful.
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