50s Crooner Eddie Fisher Dead at 82

Eddie Fisher, a popular 50s-era singer who became well known for his famous marriages to Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor, died from complications of hip surgery in Berkley, Calif on September 22, reports CNN. He was 82.

Fisher was a massive star in the early 1950s, selling millions of records with songs such as "Thinking of You," "Any Time," and I'm Yours" among his 32 hits.

"Late last evening the world lost a true American icon," the Fisher family said in a statement released by publicist British Reece. "One of the greatest voices of the century passed away. He was an extraordinary talent and a true mensch."

Fisher married movie starlet Debbie Reynolds in 1955 and they were touted as "America's favorite couple." The couple's daughter, Carrie Fisher, became a movie star in her own right, rocketing to international superstardom as Princess Leia in the original "Star Wars" trilogy.

Fisher's personal life drew an exceptional amount of attention when he left Reynolds in 1958 after the death of his best friend, Mike Todd, a producer, in a plane crash. Fisher comforted Todd's widow, actress Elizabeth Taylor, and their relationship soon became romantic. Under heavy press scrutiny, Fisher divorced Reynolds and married Taylor in 1959.

Their relationship lasted only five years and also ended in divorce after Taylor fell in love with "Cleopatra" co-star, Richard Burton. The breakup was one of the biggest entertainment scandals of the 20th century.

He is survived by two children from his marriage to Reynolds, Carrie Fisher and Todd. He also had two daughters, Joely and Tricia, with his third wife, actress Connie Stevens.

Selected Reading: Newser, New York, CNN

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