The couple divorced in 1959 when it was revealed shortly after Taylor's third husband, Mike Todd, died in a plane crash, that she and Fisher had been having an affair.

[9] To his family, Fisher was always called "Sonny Boy", a nickname derived from the song of the same name in Al Jolson's film The Singing Fool (1928).

Cantor's so-called discovery of Fisher was later described as a totally contrived, "manipulated' arrangement by Milton Blackstone, Grossinger's publicity director.

During his active duty period, he also made occasional guest television appearances, in uniform, introduced as "PFC Eddie Fisher".

After his discharge, he began to sing in top nightclubs and had a variety television series, Coke Time with Eddie Fisher on NBC (1953–1957).

Fisher's good looks and strong, melodious tenor voice made him a teen idol and one of the most popular singers of the early 1950s.

Fisher's affair, divorce from Reynolds, and subsequent marriage to Taylor, Todd's widow, caused a show business scandal.

Due to the unfavorable publicity surrounding the affair and divorce, NBC canceled Fisher's television series in March 1959.

[16] Beginning in fall 1959, Fisher established two scholarships at Brandeis University, one for classical and one for popular music, in the name of Eddie Cantor.

The Dot contract was not successful in record sales terms, and he returned to RCA Victor and had a minor single hit in 1966 with the song "Games That Lovers Play" with Nelson Riddle, which became the title of his best-selling album.

Fisher performed in top concert halls all over the United States and headlined in major Las Vegas showrooms.

In the culmination of his return to the concert stage in 1962, Fisher headlined a five-week Broadway show at Winter Garden, calling it a dream of his since his youth to perform in the venue Al Jolson had made famous.

"[18] While performing at The Tropicana Hotel in 1957, Fisher had numerous affairs with women, which contributed to his turbulent marriage to Debbie Reynolds.

When she was interviewed, Debbie Reynolds said that she could understand being dumped "for the world's most beautiful woman", referring to Taylor, who was previously a close friend.

In his autobiography, Been There, Done That, Fisher also claimed that following his separation from Taylor, he had numerous affairs with such women as Ann-Margret, Juliet Prowse, Stefanie Powers, Sue Lyon, Edie Adams, Judith Campbell, Mia Farrow, and Michelle Phillips.

[23] Fisher 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.