Eydie Gormé - Telegraph The daughter of a Turkish-born tailor of Spanish descent, Edith Garmezano was born on August 16 1928 in the Bronx district of New York City. At the local William Taft High School, she sang with the school dance band and starred in productions of Broadway musicals. Fluent in Spanish (she spoke no other language until she was five), she worked as an interpreter for a theatrical supply agency and, after taking night classes in economics, became the company's export manager. Meanwhile, at weekends, she sang under the name Eydie Gormé with a band led by Ken Greengrass, a former school classmate, and in 1952 decided to throw in her job and become a professional singer, with Greengrass as her agent. When the bandleader Tommy Tucker heard her audition, he hired her on the spot; within two days she had joined a road tour that lasted for two months. She joined Tex Beneke's band with equal expedition, having been rushed to Atlantic City and pushed on to the stage with the sheet music for four standards, which she performed note-perfect. She also sang with the Ray Eberle Orchestra before deciding to strike out on her own with nightclub and theatre dates as well as guest appearances on radio and television. Invited to join the permanent cast of the NBC Tonight show in 1953, she met Steve Lawrence (born Sidney Leibowitz), another member of the troupe, and not only sang with him but also acted in self-penned sketches. One night in February 1956 she took a call from the Copacabana nightclub to say that Billy Daniels was unable to appear and inviting her to fill the gap. Such was her success that she was booked to star in her own show, and the following year made her Broadway debut singing in a Jerry Lewis spectacular. Although Eydie Gormé retired in 2009, Steve Lawrence continues to appear as a solo act. He survives her, as does their son. Another son predeceased her in 1986. Eydie Gormé, born August 16 1928, died August 10 2013