Eddie Fisher was one of the most popular entertainers of his time.successful if not the most successful musician in the 1950s and although almost a decade has passed since he left overseas , it continues to arouse the interest of music lovers for multiple reasons.
Moreover, marriage-related scandals overshadowed his fame and put him on the negative light in front of a large number of devoted fans. Fisher lived from 1928 until 2010, when he died following hip surgery. During his life he married five times and had four children. There are many details to take in about this superb voice and performer who once walked the face of the earth.
Eddie Fisher’s Bio
The music icon was a Philly native born to Russian Jewish immigrants who entered Earth on August 10, 1928. He was the fourth of seven children born to his father Joseph Tisch, a grocer, and mother Katie ( née Winokur). . Named Edwin John “Eddie” Fisher, he would have been nicknamed “Eddie Tisch” if his father had not changed his surname to Fisher in the 1940 census.
Growing up, he had a strong connection to music and even had a nickname taken from a song. His family called him Sonny Boy after a song of the same name in the movie The Singing Madman released the same year he was born. On top of that, his loud voice was the kind for maestros and it became his ticket to fame and license to get out of the impoverished way of life he had as a child. He won victory after victory in almost every amateur singing contest he entered and by the age of 12 he was ready to take on the world of music.
In 1940, he made his radio debut in the program, When I Grow Up on local Philadelphia radio station WFIL. He went on to perform on other radio shows, such as Magic Lady, Junior Music Hall, Teen Time, and as a teenager he landed first place on the popular show, Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts, before moving on to on the television. With each performance, his fame and paychecks came and in no time Fisher had achieved star status, at least in his locality.
As a result, he dropped out of school to pursue his full-time career. Eddie attended Thomas Junior High School, then South Philadelphia High School, before moving on to Simon Gratz High School, where he finally called college in the middle of his senior year. Subsequently, he moved to New York and sang in some groups before being discovered by Eddie Cantor who helped the young talent to make a reputation by putting him on his radio show where he performed. The shot proved huge and Eddie Fisher became an instant star, gaining national exposure and also signing a record deal with RCA Victor.
He served in the United States Army from 1951 to 1953, after which he went on to host television gigs, including his own television shows such as Coke Time with Eddie Fisher on NBC (1953-1957), The Gisele Show MacKenzie, and The Eddie Fisher Show (NBC) (1957–1959). Moreover, his powerful and melodious tenor, coupled with his romantic messages, made him a teen idol and one of the most acclaimed singers of the 1950s. During his career, he signed with four record labels, including including his own, Ramrod Records, which was short-lived. Others include RCA Records, Dot Records, and then the Bainbridge label.
It can be said that he was the king of popular American music when he was both more powerful than other musical groups of his time, such as the Beatles, Elvis Presley and even hotter than Sinatra. What he couldn’t imagine, however, was how a little boy from the streets of Philadelphia had reached such heights. In the end, he concluded that it could only be because he had a gift he discovered and used to the fullest; her incredibly powerful and sweet romantic voice that kept her audience spellbound.
As a singer and actor, Fisher has made his mark in the entertainment industry and is recognized as an icon there despite the personal issues that have marred his success. He received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; one for recording and the other for television.
Who was he married to
Fisher tried marriage five times in his life, and they all ended up divorced except one. In 1955, he married his first wife, singer and actress Debbie Reynolds. Their marriage was duly titled and the duo became Hollywood’s favorite couple. Unfortunately, the marriage hit hard in 1959 before it properly embarked. They had two children. Carrie Fisher and Todd Fisher.
After his best friend (Mike Todd) died in a plane in 1958, Fisher left his wife to Todd’s widow, Elizabeth Taylor. He became Taylor’s fourth husband and the duo were married from 1959 to 1964 when she left him for Richard Burton. His first divorce, subsequent marriage, and eventual divorce from Taylor caused a showbiz scandal from which he never regained prominence.
His third wife was actress Connie Stevens with whom he had two daughters; Joely and Tricia Leigh Fisher. They married in 1967 and divorced in 1969. Six years later he married a 21-year-old beauty queen, Terry Richard, but they divorced the following year, in 1976. After a long break from the avenue of marriage, he decided marriage still had a chance. He married Betty Lin, a Chinese-born businesswoman in 1993. This time the marriage was until death parted them; his death ended on April 15, 2001.
How did he die?
After his popularity waned and many failed attempts to revive him, Fisher relied on alcohol and drugs to get by. In one of his books, Been There, Done That, he described a 37-year addiction to methamphetamines.
He died following hip surgery on September 22, 2010, 13 days after his fall and hip fracture. The music icon died at the age of 82 at his home in Berkeley, California.