June Carter Cash
Famous Fiction Authors
Donna Summer
Angelina Jolie
My Ghost Story
I Survived
Babe Ruth
Johnny Cash
Georgia O'Keefe
I Survived
1 photo
Quick Facts
Best Known For
Rosemary Clooney was a popular singer beginning in the 1950s and had a No. 1 hit with "Come On-a My House." She was aunt to actor George Clooney.
Quiz
Think you know about Biography?
Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.
Play NowRosemary Clooney. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 11:43, May 18, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/rosemary-clooney-9251425.
Rosemary Clooney. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/rosemary-clooney-9251425 [Accessed 18 May 2013].
"Rosemary Clooney." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 18 2013, 11:43 http://www.biography.com/people/rosemary-clooney-9251425.
"Rosemary Clooney," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/rosemary-clooney-9251425 [accessed May 18, 2013].
"Rosemary Clooney," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/rosemary-clooney-9251425 (accessed May 18, 2013).
Rosemary Clooney [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 18] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/rosemary-clooney-9251425.
Rosemary Clooney, http://www.biography.com/people/rosemary-clooney-9251425 (last visited May 18, 2013).
Rosemary Clooney. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/rosemary-clooney-9251425. Accessed May 18, 2013.
Synopsis
Rosemary Clooney was born on May 23, 1928, in Maysville, Kentucky. She sang and toured with a big band in the 1940s and eventually signed with Columbia Records as a solo artist. Her first No. 1 hit was "Come On-a My House" in 1951. In the 1950s, she starred in White Christmas with Bing Crosby and had her own television show. Clooney was twice married to actor Jose Ferrer and received a lifetime Grammy in 2002. She died of lung cancer in 2002.
Early Life
Singer Rosemary Clooney was born on May 23, 1928, in Maysville, Kentucky. Rosemary Clooney was a popular recording artist during the 1950s, known for her warm, engaging voice. She started out singing with her sister Betty on a Cincinnati radio show. The two joined Tony Pastor??s big band orchestra in 1946 and toured with them for a few years.
Commercial Success
After her sister retired from singing, Rosemary Clooney went to New York to launch her solo career around 1949. Two years later, after signing with Columbia Records, she had her first No. 1 hit with ??"Come On-a My House.??" More hits followed, such as ??"Hey There,"?? ?"?This Ole House"?? and "??Tenderly."?? Around this time, she also appeared in a few feature films, such as The Stars Are Singing (1953) and White Christmas (1954) with Bing Crosby. In the late 1950s, Clooney had her own self-titled television show.
Mental Collapse and Career Revival
Rosemary Clooney??s career took a downturn when she experienced personal problems in the late 1960s. She went through a divorce from actor Jose Ferrer, had another failed love affair, developed an addiction to prescription medication, and was at the Ambassador Hotel when presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy, a personal friend, was assassinated. All these events contributed to Clooney's eventual mental collapse, one that she would spend years recovering from.
Little by little, Rosemary Clooney rebuilt her career, starting out in small clubs and lounges. In the mid-1970, she joined Bing Crosby on his final tour, which helped spur on her comeback. She later signed a recording contract with the Concord Jazz label. Her personal life improved as well. She married Dante DiPaolo, a dancer she had known from two of her films, in 1996.
Final Years
In her later years, Rosemary Clooney continued to record and perform. In 2002, she received a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement. Rosemary Clooney died from complications related to her battle with lung cancer on June 29, in Beverly Hills, California. She had five children from her marriage to Ferrer.
© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.
profile name: Rosemary Clooney profile occupation:
Your Connections
Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.
Profile Connections
Included In These Groups
-
Famous Irish-Americans 80 people in this group
-
The Ed Sullivan Show Guests
View groupOriginally called Toast of the Town, The Ed Sullivan Show ran from 1948-1971 on CBS and was an American staple in the 50s and 60s. The American variety show featured the Who's Who of celebritydom over the decades, including Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Tony Bennett, Carol Channing, Lucille Ball, The Jackson 5, and The Doors.
The Ed Sullivan Show Guests 215 people in this group
-
Famous Geminis 529 people in this group
