Steve Lawrence, the Grammy-winning and Emmy-winning singer and actor, died Thursday at the age of 88. He died in Los Angeles from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. The news of his passing was shared with TheWrap by his son, David.
Lawrence was best known for his role in the duo “Steve and Eydie” with his wife of 55 years, the late Eydie Gormé. They were known for being regulars on television for decades, including appearing on the first episode of what would become “The Tonight Show” with Steve Allen.
The singer won a talent competition on Arthur Godfrey’s CBS show, signing with King Records as a teenager to break into the music business. Instead of leaning into the rock-and-roll genre, the crooner decided to sing in an older style.
He released an eponymous LP in 1953. In 1963, he shot to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singing “Go Away Little Girl,” written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Later recorded in 1971 by Donny Osmond, the single became the first song sung by two different artists to top the chart with both versions.
Other hits that reached the chart’s top 10 included 1957’s “Party Doll” at No. 5, 1959’s “Pretty Blue Eyes” at No. 9, 1960’s “Footsteps” at No. 7 and 1961’s “Portrait of My Love” at No. 9.
Lawrenced starred as Sammy Click in the Broadway musical “What Makes Sammy Run?” adapted from Budd Schulberg’s novel. He was nominated for a best actor Tony in 1964 for the role.
In 1965, he hosted a CBS variety program, which was short-lived. But in the 197os he appeared as a semi-regular on “The Carol Burnett Show” for more than 24 episodes.
“The Blues Brothers” (1980) contains another well-known film credit of Lawrence’s, the role of Maury Sline. He also reprised the character in the 1998 sequel “Blues Brothers 2000.”
Lawrence’s roles also included appearing alongside Steve Martin in “The Lonely Guy” (1984) and as Fran Drescher’s character’s father Morty Fine on CBS’ “The Nanny.”
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