Rosemary Clooney | |
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Clooney in 1954
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Born |
Maysville, Kentucky, U.S. |
May 23, 1928
Died | June 29, 2002 Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
(aged 74)
Cause of death | Lung cancer |
Resting place | Saint Patrick's Cemetery, Maysville |
Occupation | Singer, actress |
Years active | 1946–2001 |
Spouse(s) |
José Ferrer (m. 1953; div. 1961) & (m. 1964; div. 1967) Dante DiPaolo (m. 1997) |
Children | 5, including Miguel and Rafael Ferrer |
Relatives |
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Website | Rosemary Clooney Palladium website |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Labels | |
Associated acts | |
Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me", "Mambo Italiano", "Tenderly", "Half as Much", "Hey There" and "This Ole House". She also had success as a jazz vocalist. Clooney's career languished in the 1960s, partly due to problems related to depression and drug addiction, but revived in 1977, when her White Christmas co-star Bing Crosby asked her to appear with him at a show marking his 50th anniversary in show business. She continued recording until her death in 2002.
Rosemary Clooney was born in Maysville, Kentucky, the daughter of Marie Frances (née Guilfoyle) and Andrew Joseph Clooney. She was one of five children. Her father was of Irish and German descent and her mother was of Irish and English ancestry. She was raised Catholic. When Clooney was 15, her mother and brother Nick moved to California. She and her sister Betty remained with their father. The family resided in the John Brett Richeson House in the late 1940s.
Rosemary and Betty became entertainers, whereas Nick became a newsman and television broadcaster (some of her children, including Miguel Ferrer and Rafael Ferrer, and her nephew, George Clooney, also became respected actors and entertainers). In 1945, the Clooney sisters won a spot on Cincinnati, Ohio's radio station WLW as singers. Her sister Betty sang in a duo with Rosemary for much of the latter's early career.