Saturday 21 May 2011

Kathy Kirby 1938-2011

The death of Kathy Kirby - or Kathleen O'Rourke, her real name - brings a certain sadness to this blog with the news contained in her obituary, in today's Daily Telegraph, that she ended her days a recluse, living on state benefits.

To celebrate the occasion of my 30th birthay I was taken by my first wife to see her at The Talk of The Town - which in those days was probably 'the' nightclub - and my first reaction on arrival at the 'surprise venue' was: "Hell, not Kathy Kirby". However, afterwards I had to admit that attending a live performance changed my opinion of her completely - she 'wowed' the audience and after her act wandered amongst the dining tables, talking to people.

Those readers old enough will remember her greatest hit, an upbeat version of "Secret Love" - originally sung by Doris Day as a ballad - which as my tribute to this artist, is reproduced courtesy of youtube:


I always find it sad that, on the death of anyone who has been 'famous' in the entertainment world, besides factual reporting of the 'highs' in their obituary, writers deem it necessary to include the 'lows' also. Most fans of 'stars' - be they actors or singers - are well aware that these people are not 'saints' and would, I believe, rather be left to remember their 'icons' in the best of lights.

Just a thought....................

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

As a youngster I was made to sit quietly (not too unwillingly) through shows such as Family Favourites.

Kathy Kirby was a regular - so sad to hear of her passing.

Derek said...

Thoughts I echo WfW.
Teenage years - a stack of 45's on the Fidelity portable - a BSA outside the girlfriends house - Box Hill at the weekend.

WitteringsfromWitney said...

BJ: Yup a sad loss

D: Thanks - those were the days, eh?