Rosemary Clooney on the cover of her 2000 collection 16 Biggest Hits Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 - June 29, 2002) was an American popular singer and actress.
She was born in Maysville, Kentucky, about 60 miles up the Ohio River from Cincinnati, Ohio. Her sister, Betty, and brother, Nick, as well as her nephew, George Clooney (Nick's son), all became entertainers as well; Betty sang in a duo with Rosemary for much of her early career.
Her father was an alcoholic and she and her brother and sister were constantly moving back and forth between her parents. Eventually she and Betty went to live with their mother, Nick with their father, when Rosemary was 13. In 1945 the Clooney sisters won a spot on Cincinnati's radio station WLW as singers.
In 1951 her record of "Come On-a My House" became a hit, her first of many singles to hit the charts.
In 1954 she and Bing Crosby starred in the movie "White Christmas."
In 1968 she was present at the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, with whom she was a close friend, and the event traumatized her life for years afterward. She had a nervous breakdown and serious drug problems.
In 1986 she sang a duet with Wild Man Fischer on "It's a Hard Business".
She had two husbands, José Ferrer (from 1953 until the 1960s) by whom she had five children, including actor,Miguel Ferrer, born in 1955 and Gabriel Ferrer, born 1956, who married Debby Boone, and Dante DePaolo (whom she married in 1996).
Many attribute some of Clooneys extraordinary abilities to her being affected by bipolar disorder, commonly known as manic depression.
Best known songs:
- Come On-A My House
- Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep) (The best known version of this song was recorded by Eddie Fisher, however.)
- From This Moment On
- Half as Much
- Hey There
- Mambo Italiano
- Oh, What a Beautiful Morning
- Tenderly
- This Ole House
- You'll Never Know (This song was also recorded, in better-known versions, by Dick Haymes and Frank Sinatra.)
- You Make Me Feel So Young
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