Edwin John "Eddie" Fisher

 

Edwin John "Eddie" Fisher (August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010)

He was the most successful pop singles artist during the first half of the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show. Fisher's strong and melodious tenor made him a teen idol and one of the most popular singers of the early 1950s. He had 17 songs in the Top 10 on the music charts between 1950 and 1956 and 35 in the Top 40. In 1956, Fisher costarred with then-wife Debbie Reynolds in the musical comedy Bundle of Joy. He played a dramatic role in the 1960 drama Butterfield 8 with second wife Elizabeth Taylor. His best friend was showman and producer Mike Todd, who died in a plane crash in 1958. Fisher's affair and subsequent marriage to Taylor, Todd's widow, caused a show business scandal because he and Reynolds had a very public divorce. Due to the unfavorable publicity surrounding the affair and divorce, NBC canceled Fisher's television series in March 1959. In 1960, he was dropped by RCA Victor and briefly recorded on his own label, Ramrod Records. He later recorded for Dot Records. During this time, he had the first commercial recording of "Sunrise, Sunset" from Fiddler on the Roof. This technically counts as the biggest standard Fisher can claim credit for introducing, although it is rarely associated with him. After his divorce from Taylor, Fisher married Connie Stevens, but that marriage ended after two years in another divorce. Fisher later suffered from knee, back, hearing, and eyesight problems in his later years, the last of which were worsened by complications stemming from cataract removal surgery, and he rarely appeared in public. Fisher broke his hip on September 9, 2010, and died 13 days later on September 22, 2010 at his home in Berkeley, California. He is interred at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma, CA.