Rosemary Clooney was born on May 23, 1928, in Maysville, Kentucky. Rosemary’s childhood was anything but idyllic. Her father was an alcoholic, and she and her siblings were constantly being shuffled between the households of her estranged parents. At the age of fifteen, Rosemary and her sister Betty remained with her father when the rest of the family moved to California.
Rosemary, along with her sister, were first noticed for their singing abilities in 1945 when they began singing on a Cincinnati radio station. The following year, she began providing the vocals for the big band led by Tony Pastor.
It wasn’t until 1949 that Rosemary really began her solo career. Her first major hit was the 1951 single "Come On-a My House." This single launched Rosemary’s musical career, and throughout the years she recorded many more singles that would captivate audiences and top the charts. The best known singles of her career include "Blue Skies," "Oh What a Beautiful Mornin’," and "Sophisticated Lady."
Aside from her song recordings, Clooney also starred in the movie White Christmas, along with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Vera Ellen. Following the release of the film, Clooney frequently worked with Bing on television specials, and on a tour throughout Ireland that the pair embarked on together. She was also the host of the musical variety show The Rosemary Clooney Show, which later became known as The Lux Show Starring Rosemary Clooney when it was picked up by NBC.
During the final years of her career, she continued releasing albums with Concord Records until the time of her death, and also worked as a spokesperson for Coronet paper towels. She was nominated for an Emmy for her guest-starring role on ER when it first began airing in 1994.
A lifelong smoker, Clooney received a lung cancer diagnosis at the end of 2001. She succumbed to the illness only six months later. George Clooney and Al Pacino attended her funeral. She was buried in her home town of Maysville, Kentucky. For her contributions to music, Clooney was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.
The desire to be in the spotlight seems to run in Rosemary’s family. Her brother, Nick Clooney, is a journalist and game show host. Actor George Clooney is Rosemary’s nephew. The singer was also a close friend of Robert F Kennedy, and witnessing his assassination haunted her for years following the event.
During her life, Rosemary was married three times. The first (and second) time was to actor and director Jose Ferrer. Their on and off romance lasted from 1953 until their second and final divorce in 1967. During the course of their marriage, the couple had five children: Miguel Ferrer, who became an actor; Maria; Gabriel Ferrer, husband of Debby Boone; Monsita; and Rafael Ferrer, an actor who also does voice work. Rosemary married Dante DiPaolo in 1997, remaining with him until the time of her death.
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