STEVE LAWRENCE, 1935-2024

Steve Lawrence, the singer and actor best known for a five-decade performing partnership with his wife, Eydie Gormé, died Thursday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 88.

The cause was complications of Alzheimer’s disease, which he had been diagnosed with in 2019.

As a solo artist, Lawrence had one smash hit—“Go Away Little Girl,” which hit #1 in early 1963—after reaching the top 10 with three earlier singles. His first record, “Poinciana” for King in 1952, was also his first Top 40 hit, reaching #21.

He followed his “Go Away Little Girl” success with a starring role on Broadway in the musical What Makes Sammy Run? that earned him a Tony nomination.

From the mid-1950s into the mid-2000s, Lawrence and Gorme were regulars on television, tours and Las Vegas, performing pre-rock & roll standards such as “Our Love Is Here to Stay” and “One for My Baby (And One More for the Road).” They co-starred on Broadway in Golden Rainbow, which ran for nearly a year in 1968 and 1969.

In the 1970s, they regularly headlined The Copacabana in New York, Eden Roc in Miami Beach and Las Vegas hotels. They traveled the world opening shows for Frank Sinatra on his Diamond Jubilee World Tour in 1991 and continued to perform at venues such as The Stardust in Las Vegas and Westbury Music Fair on Long Island into the mid-2000s.

Gorme retired in 2009 and died in 2013.

Lawrence won a Grammy in the Gospel Choir or Chorus Album category in 2003 and an Emmy for producing Steve and Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin in 1978.