Eydie Gormé

Born in the Bronx, New York, Gormé began her career singing in a band on weekends while working as a translator.

She gained prominence after appearing on the radio program Cita Con Eydie and changing her name for easier pronunciation.

Her marriage to Lawrence in 1957 marked the beginning of a lifelong personal and professional partnership, celebrated with their Emmy-winning television specials and performances alongside stars such as Frank Sinatra.

[2] After high school, Gormé worked as a Spanish interpreter, but on weekends she sang in a band led by Ken Greengrass.

The song earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Vocal Performance[7] and was certified gold after selling one million copies.

[7] Steve and Eydie moved on to Broadway, starring in the musical Golden Rainbow based on the play A Hole in the Head.

Gormé was successful in the Latin music market and internationally through albums she recorded in Spanish with the Trio Los Panchos.

Her first recording with Los Panchos came about after the popular group with members from Mexico and Puerto Rico, composed of Alfredo Gil, Chucho Navarro, and Johnny Albino, saw her perform at Manhattan's Club Copacabana late in 1963.

Gormé had achieved international fame from the song "Blame it on the Bossa Nova", which sold 250,000 copies in Spanish in addition to sales in English.

[7] Muy Amigos/Close Friends (1977), a duet collection with Puerto Rican singer Danny Rivera, also received a Grammy nomination.

Two years later they sang on Steve and Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin and again won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Music or Comedy Special.

They recorded a cover version of the song "Black Hole Sun" by the rock band Soundgarden for the album Lounge-A-Palooza (1997).

[4] Gormé and Lawrence were in Atlanta, Georgia, at the time of their son's death, having performed at the Fox Theater the night before.

Frank Sinatra, a family friend, sent his private plane to fly the couple to New York, where David had been attending school.

[4] Gormé died on August 10, 2013, at age 84, at Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center in Las Vegas following an undisclosed illness.