Mel Tormé

 Mel Tormé (1925–1999), born Melvin Howard Tormé, a legendary jazz singer, composer, arranger, drummer, actor, and author whose smooth voice earned him the nickname “The Velvet Fog,” though he personally disliked it. Tormé is best remembered for co-writing the timeless holiday classic The Christmas Song (“Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire”) with Bob Wells, a song that has become an enduring part of American culture.

Tormé began his career in entertainment as a teenager, making his film debut in Frank Sinatra’s musical Higher and Higher (1943). Over the decades, he performed in film, radio, and television, hosted his own TV show in the 1950s, and made memorable appearances on shows like Night Court. A gifted composer and arranger, he contributed significantly to jazz standards and popular music. A stroke in 1996 ended his singing career, and he passed away from a stroke on June 5, 1999, at the age of 73. He is interred at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles.