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Contact Info
Home Town Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Last Address Berkeley, California
Date of Passing Sep 22, 2010
Location of Interment Cypress Lawn Memorial Park - Colma, California
Entertainer. One of America's most popular singers of the 1950s, his career was later overshadowed by his private life. The Philadelphia native began performing as a teen and got his big break in 1949 with an appearance on Eddie Cantor's radio show, which led to a recording contract with RCA Victor. After serving in the US Army during the Korean war (1951 to 1953), Fisher became one of the last great young crooners of the pre-rock and roll period, with 35 of his recordings reaching the Top 40 through the end of the decade. He had two variety shows for NBC Television, "Coke Time with Eddie Fisher" (1953 to 1957) and "The Eddie Fisher Show" (1957 to 1959) and was the national spokesman for Coca-Cola. At the height of his celebrity Fisher left his first wife, actress Debbie Reynolds (mother of their children Carrie and Todd) for recently widowed Elizabeth Taylor, creating one of the biggest scandals of the era. Although he married Taylor in 1959, NBC, RCA and Coca-Cola all dropped him over the negative publicity; his creditable performance in Taylor's film "Butterfield 8" (1960) did not help. Taylor would eventually leave him for Richard Burton. Fisher's career waned in the 1960s though he still commanded a high salary when he performed in Las Vegas. His third marriage, to actress Connie Stevens, produced two daughters. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for TV and Recording.
Fisher was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1951, sent to Fort Hood, Texas for basic training, and served a year in Korea. From 1952 to 1953, he was the official vocal soloist for The United States Army Band (Pershing's Own) and a tenor section member in the United States Army Band Chorus (an element of Pershing's Own) assigned at Fort Myer in the Washington, D.C. Military District. 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).
