R.I.P. Steve Lawrence, classic crooner and Carol Burnett Show regular

Often performing with his wife, Eydie Gormé, Lawrence had a decades-long career that included nightclubs, TV appearances, and movie roles.

The Everett Collection

Steve Lawrence, who spent decades serenading audiences in nightclubs, onstage, and on TV has passed away.

Lawrence first got his big break when, as a teenager, he appeared on Arthur Godfrey's talent competition CBS show and won. By 1953, he put out his first LP.

In 1963, he had a number-one hit on the charts with his cover of "Go Away Little Girl". The song would become the first in history to hit number one by two different artists when Donny Osmond recorded his own version in 1971. Other well-known singles of his included "Pretty Blue Eyes", "Footsteps", "Portrait of My Love" and "Party Doll".

Lawrence is also known for his duo act with his wife, Eydie Gormé, and together they were billed as "Steve and Eydie". The couple married in 1957 and performed together for the 55 years of their marriage until Eydie's passing in 2013. Their 1960 album, We Got Us, earned the pair a Grammy Award.

In the late sixties, the couple appeared in the Broadway musical Golden Rainbow, where Lawrence performed the song "I've Gotta Be Me". Sammy Davis Jr.'s cover of the tune became a hit on the charts in 1969.

In addition to the Grammy, Lawrence also picked up a Tony Award for his performance in the Broadway show What Makes Sammy Run? and two Emmy Awards during his career. 

"At the height of their popularity in the 1960s and ’70s, Lawrence and Gormé were one of show business’ hottest couples," The Hollywood Reporter wrote. "If a variety show were on TV, it was only a matter of time before Steve & Eydie would be booked for it."

One of those shows that kept Steve and Eydie busy was The Carol Burnett Show, where Lawrence appeared on over two dozen episodes, some with his wife and some solo.

That wasn't the limit to his television career; in addition to the variety show circut, Lawrence appeared on Night Gallery, Sanford and Son, Murder, She Wrote, Frasier, Hot in Cleveland, The Nanny, and Two and a Half Men.

Audiences may also recall his memorable character in the 1980 comedy film The Blues Brothers, where he played Maury Sline, the agent of John Belushi, and Dan Aykroyd's Jake and Elwood. Lawrence reprised the role in the 1998 sequel, Blues Brothers 2000.

The singer and actor was 88 years old.

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51 Comments

deltadart 14 days ago
A Great Singer and a pretty good actor!
His Song Pretty Blue Eyes is one of his best.
Calypso500 8 months ago
I am deeply saddened by Steve Lawrence's death but now he can be with his beloved Edie again. My gosh I loved those two all my life.
cperrynaples 8 months ago
No one has mentioned Carol For Another Christmas, a Rod Serling alagory on nuclear war! Steve played a WW2 soldier, which I presumed was a "ghost of Christmas past"! It runs every December on TCM!
Calypso500 cperrynaples 8 months ago
He was wonderful in A carol for another Christmas..
cperrynaples Calypso500 8 months ago
Well, he only did a few minutes! Peter Sellers stole that movie!
ww245 8 months ago
Another childhood favorite gone....I am a little sadder for it. I've come to understand what my aunts and grandparents felt when their fave entertainers passed. RIP Mr. Lawrence....
billygardener19 8 months ago
I believe we were introduced to him on "The Steve Allen Show", which is never mentioned. He met Eydie on the show, who was also a regular, and they often sang duets. I am disappointed that this is never mentioned, but everyone watched Steve Allen in those days (he was married to Jane Meadows). That show introduced us to many celebrities, including Don Knotts.
Louis Nye, Tom Poston, Pat Harrington, Jr., TIm Conway, Bill Dana, Dayton Allen, Gabriel Dell, and Jim Nabors! What a large talented guest stars he had, in a spin-off from The Tonight Show that he first hosted (1954-57)! June 1956-Dec. 1961.
Yep, and in the '70's Steve Allen had a show called Laughback where he talked to all of them!
kkvegas 8 months ago
When I was little, my parents had a series of Christmas albums put out by Goodyear (the tire company). On one them is a version of Sleigh Ride performed by Steve and Eydie. To this day, it's my absolute favorite Christmas song. RIP.
tootsieg 8 months ago
Very sad to read of his passing. Loved his song “Go Away Little Girl” and seeing Steve and Eydie on the many variety shows.
Rest In Peace Steve.
Fior 8 months ago
I loved Steve and Eydie! Their like will not be seen again.
Wiseguy70005 8 months ago
A basic grammar rule Is when listing a series of names, one of which contains a comma, they should be separated by semi-colons, not commas. In the list of series above there appears to be a series names "Murder" and a different series names "She Wrote."
It’s also a good idea for the person pointing out mistakes to not make mistakes themselves. You needed to use the word NAMED and not NAMES with what you were trying to say. Clarity when writing is your friend.
jholton30062 8 months ago
One of the last of the entertainers who could do just about everything: sing, dance, act, tell jokes, do impressions... very sorry to hear of his passing.
Rhard 8 months ago
When are these people going to change their Midnight to 6 AM schedule? How many times do we have to see the SAME episodes of Perry Mason and Twilight Zone? How about Mary Tyler Moore, Lou Grant other series.
DethBiz 8 months ago
RIP Steve Lawrence. Also a RIP to Charlie Dierkop. Surprised MeTV hasn't given him a mention considering he always seemed to pop up on Westerns.
Wiseguy70005 DethBiz 8 months ago
And on Star Trek!
kkvegas DethBiz 8 months ago
I'm glad you mentioned Charles Dierkop, as I hadn't heard that he passed away. I've been watching Police Woman on getTV lately, and I looked up the regular cast members just a month or so ago and thought it was interesting they were all still alive (at that time).
BraninH 8 months ago
I’m so sorry. Steve he was so funny on The Carol Burnett Show. I didn’t know he was in Two and a Half Men. I always watch that and recall seeing him. You will be missed.
cperrynaples BraninH 8 months ago
Technically, Lawrence wasn't really a Carol Burnett regular! He made many guest shots but the closest he got was being one of the Harvey Korman subsitutes which included Dick Van Dyke & Steve Martin!
cperrynaples cperrynaples 8 months ago
PS He DID have his own variety show in 1965, the last to be in B&W! Ironically, Carol Burnett got his time slot 2 years later!
Irish 8 months ago
We're losing so many "greats." I loved Steve Lawrence on the Carol Burnett show and Clarence on Matlock and Walker Texas Ranger. RIP Guys.
IndianaRockz 8 months ago
I enjoy the Carol Burnett Show episodes with him on it but always think wow, wonder how his wife felt about the constant smooching in every skit Carol & he were in together! 😚🥰💋😁
Rita6868 8 months ago
I have loved Steve since the mid 1960's.
I watched an episode of The Carol Burnett Show
Thursday not knowing yet that he had passed.I have all 39 episodes and 300 photos of him.Huge fan.Love You and Miss You Forever Steve! Rest easy handsome!!
ncadams27 8 months ago
When I was a kid in the early sixties, I heard my uncle tell my Dad a joke - “Why did Steve and Edyie get divorced? A: He didn’t like gourmet cooking”. I had no idea what he was talking about. Another joke was - “Why did Elizabeth Taylor sell her GM stock? A: She no longer liked Body by Fisher”. Understood that one even less. Or - “Why does the government think there are sheep on the moon? A: They sent up a shepherd”. That one I understood, but they were all dumb jokes. I think he saved the good ones for when I wasn’t around.
cperrynaples ncadams27 8 months ago
Actually, Steve & Eydie were together for over 50 years and those joke are HORRIBLE IMHO! I get the puns but they're still bad!
Wiseguy70005 cperrynaples 8 months ago
Yeah, putting an exclamation point at the end of EVERY sentence Is funny enough.
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