Perry Como was DEVASTATED by Her Death
Who’s your favorite classic crooner? Which one sang your favorite romantic, lullaby-like melodies?
Perry Como held the top spot in many hearts for years. He had a humble beginning as a barber. He was also a talented musician but never thought he’d be a professional.
▬Contents of this video▬
00:00 - Intro
00:42 - Perry’s Early Life
01:33 - Perry’s Music
03:45 - Hollywood Came Calling
05:22 - Finding Love
06:19 - Staying In Love
08:12 - The Devastating Death
08:51 - Outro
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Fate had other plans. He joined a band on a whim, and that grew into a successful career.
Perry tried various mediums to show off his talent. His film experiments were a bit of a bust, but TV was his sweet spot. He was allowed to be himself on the screen. Viewers loved the agreeable personality he displayed on his variety shows.
The women loved Perry, but he was lucky enough to find true love early. He met Roselle at a campfire. One little serenade led to a lifetime of happiness. She helped inspire him whenever he was nervous about a new project. He wasn’t as confident a man as he seemed. Sometimes, he needed a push in the right direction.
The couple grew into a family of four children as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Perry kept working after becoming a father, but the family always came first. His love for Roselle also always came first. He says there was no secret to their decades-long marriage. It was all a matter of staying committed to one another and working out any disagreements.
He also admits that being such a popular star gave him plenty of chances to step out on her. He asserts that he never did because she was his best friend. That remained true forever because, for this pair, it was ‘till death do us part.
Like and subscribe to FactsVerse for more on the golden age of crooners. Watch our video to learn about the death that devastated Perry Como.
Who’s your favorite classic crooner? Which one sang your favorite romantic, lullaby-like melodies?
Perry Como held the top spot in many hearts for years. He had a humble beginning as a barber. He was also a talented musician but never thought he’d be a professional.
▬Contents of this video▬
00:00 - Intro
00:42 - Perry’s Early Life
01:33 - Perry’s Music
03:45 - Hollywood Came Calling
05:22 - Finding Love
06:19 - Staying In Love
08:12 - The Devastating Death
08:51 - Outro
Like this content? Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/factsverse?sub_confirmation=1
Or, watch more videos here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkXAntdjbcSJlJnpP4FgdU0swKbnkNgJj
Become a Facts Verse member and get access to all videos that contain mature content. Use the link below to get access to even more videos, ad-free.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXZpQgX1897wYDLtvzmgyIA/join\
Fate had other plans. He joined a band on a whim, and that grew into a successful career.
Perry tried various mediums to show off his talent. His film experiments were a bit of a bust, but TV was his sweet spot. He was allowed to be himself on the screen. Viewers loved the agreeable personality he displayed on his variety shows.
The women loved Perry, but he was lucky enough to find true love early. He met Roselle at a campfire. One little serenade led to a lifetime of happiness. She helped inspire him whenever he was nervous about a new project. He wasn’t as confident a man as he seemed. Sometimes, he needed a push in the right direction.
The couple grew into a family of four children as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Perry kept working after becoming a father, but the family always came first. His love for Roselle also always came first. He says there was no secret to their decades-long marriage. It was all a matter of staying committed to one another and working out any disagreements.
He also admits that being such a popular star gave him plenty of chances to step out on her. He asserts that he never did because she was his best friend. That remained true forever because, for this pair, it was ‘till death do us part.
Like and subscribe to FactsVerse for more on the golden age of crooners. Watch our video to learn about the death that devastated Perry Como.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Perry Como had a seemingly effortless charm.
00:15It wasn't an act, but a persona that he had to maintain, just like his memorable singing
00:19voice.
00:20He gained a reputation as the nice guy in the crooner world.
00:23He felt approachable whether you were listening to his music or watching his TV shows.
00:27He is one of the few celebrities who never lost a friend due to unnecessary arguments.
00:33That doesn't mean that he never had loss, though.
00:34Time ran out one day for the person who meant more to him than anyone in the world.
00:39Keep watching for more on the death that devastated Perry Como.
00:43Perry's Early Life
00:44Pierino Ronald Como was born in Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania on May 18, 1912.
00:50He was the seventh of 13 children.
00:52He was also the first one in the family to be born in America to his Italian immigrant
00:56parents.
00:57He didn't learn English until he began school because the family spoke Italian at home.
01:02Perry played the family's organ as soon as he could walk.
01:05His father often took on extra jobs to give the family music lessons.
01:09Perry learned to play several instruments, including the organ, trombone, and guitar,
01:13but he never had voice lessons.
01:15He joined the family barber shop when he was 10 and got a chair in the Fran Japan Barber
01:19Shop at 13.
01:21He wanted to become the best barber in Cannonsburg and put any musical ambitions to the side.
01:27His talent was still evident as he became a quote-unquote wedding barber, singing to
01:30customers who'd just been married.
01:33Perry's Music
01:35Perry moved to Meadville, PA in 1932.
01:38He'd often go to the Silver Slipper Ballroom in Cleveland.
01:41Freddie Carlone and his orchestra played there.
01:44They once invited anyone with talent to sing with them.
01:46Perry was nervous to volunteer, but his friends encouraged him to try.
01:50Freddie was so impressed that he immediately offered him a job.
01:53Perry talked it over with his father, who said that it could be the turning point as
01:56to whether or not he'd be a professional singer.
01:59They could also use the money.
02:01Perry said,
02:02We had an awful lot of fun.
02:03To me, it was just like a vacation.
02:04I didn't think of it as being a professional venture of any kind.
02:11Perry joined the band four days later.
02:13He then moved to Ted Weems' orchestra for his first recordings.
02:17The gig came with a raise, paying $50 a week.
02:20It also gave him nationwide exposure through the band's weekly radio program.
02:24His first recording with the band was You Can't Pull the Wool Over My Eyes.
02:28There wasn't confidence in him at first because he allegedly sounded too much like Bing Crosby.
02:33Ted gave an ultimatum.
02:35Keep Perry or the band walks.
02:37That single decision kept him going.
02:39Perry got his own ultimatum in 1940 when his first child was born.
02:43He left to go back home even though he was threatened with being kicked out if he did.
02:47He didn't want to raise a child on the road, so he went home to Canningsburg.
02:51He also quit the Weems Band in 1942, even if that meant that he had to quit singing
02:55forever.
02:56Perry was trying to get back into the family business when he got a call from the General
02:59Artist Corporation.
03:01He was offered a radio show and a recording contract with No More Road Tours.
03:05He pondered the job offer, but his wife told him that he could always get another barbershop
03:10if it didn't work out, so he accepted.
03:12He made his radio debut for CBS on March 12, 1943.
03:16He was then booked at the Copacabana Nightclub for two weeks.
03:20The RCA was looking for a new crooner to replace Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby.
03:25They signed him, and he recorded for them for 44 years, from 1943 to 1987.
03:30He was voted Crooner of the Year in 1943.
03:33Lines for his paramount performance wound around the city.
03:36He thoroughly enjoyed touring, even getting to visit Buckingham Palace.
03:40He also reportedly sold over 100 million recordings in his career.
03:45Hollywood Came Calling
03:47Perry also got a film contract with 20th Century Fox in 1943.
03:52He made four films for them, Something for the Boys, March of Time, Dollface, and If
03:56I'm Lucky.
03:57He also appeared in 1948's Words and Music for MGM.
04:01He never enjoyed film work and didn't feel the roles fit his personality.
04:05He said in a 1949 interview that television would be better for him because he could be
04:10himself.
04:11That's what ended up happening.
04:13He first broadcast the Chesterfield Supper Club radio program as a Christmas special
04:17on December 24, 1948.
04:19It went so well that it was extended for three more shows through to August 1949.
04:24It became a weekly half-hour show in September.
04:27The show was changed to The Perry Como Chesterfield Show in 1950.
04:31He hosted the informal 15-minute musical variety show three times a week.
04:35His CBS contract expired on July 1, 1955.
04:40He signed a new one that was meant to last for 12 years.
04:43He was riding high on the final broadcast on June 24, 1955.
04:47The Perry Como Show, an hour-long variety show, began on September 17, 1955.
04:54It was popular enough to reach ninth in the ratings, the only show on NBC to land in the
04:59top ten.
05:00The final season ran in 1958.
05:02After that, he did Perry Como's Craft Music Hall from 1963 to 1967.
05:07Over his television career, he was particularly known for his many Christmas specials.
05:12Perry became the highest-paid TV performer to date at that time, and he was enjoying
05:16every bit of it.
05:17He said, quote, I got a kick out of live television.
05:20The spontaneity was the fun of it.
05:23Finding Love Life magazine ran a poll of young women in
05:271956, asking which celebrity was their concept of an ideal husband.
05:32Perry won the top spot.
05:33Another poll of US teenagers in 1958 had him win the spot for the top male singer.
05:39He even beat out the previous winner, Elvis Presley.
05:42So what kind of woman would win the heart of such a popular man?
05:45She certainly had to be a special one.
05:47He met Roselle Boleyn in 1929.
05:49They were both at a picnic in Charter Creek that served as a popular community event in
05:54the Canningsburg area.
05:55Perry was there with another girl and didn't notice her until the end of the night.
05:59The bonfire ended with everyone choosing a song to sing.
06:02He picked More Than You Know.
06:04His eyes suddenly met Roselle's, and he couldn't look away from her for the entire song.
06:09After that fateful encounter, he asked her to a school dance.
06:12They were high school sweethearts with the right stuff to make it.
06:14They bonded over having immigrant parents, his from Italy and hers from France.
06:19Staying In Love Perry and Roselle Boleyn were married on July
06:2331, 1933.
06:25They had three children, Ronnie, David, and Terry.
06:28They had 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
06:31It didn't matter to them that not all of them were natural children.
06:34Roselle couldn't have any more after Ronnie, so they adopted David and Terry.
06:38After the couple took an active role in raising their children, Roselle said that they respected
06:42Perry as their father and that she watched them closely, very closely.
06:46They also closely watched their grandchildren meeting with their teachers.
06:49This may be partially because they almost lost one of them.
06:52Terry's first baby, Terrence, was born premature.
06:55Doctors didn't think he'd survive, but Roselle relied on the power of prayer, and Terrence
06:59turned out big and healthy.
07:01She didn't always join him on tours and was too nervous to attend opening nights.
07:05Despite that, she found other ways to help him.
07:07She'd put in a pot of hot water and a bouillon cube in his dressing room to make sure he
07:11ate a healthy diet.
07:12Perry called her his anchor.
07:14He said, quote,
07:15In the early days there were some rough times when I thought I'd quit the business.
07:18Roselle always stood by me, never pressuring me either way.
07:21They were eventually married for 65 years.
07:24He said there was
07:25There were never any rumors about infidelity in all those years.
07:42He explained, quote,
07:43I've had a lot of opportunities to have affairs.
07:45I never took advantage of the position I'm in, where a lot of women throw themselves
07:49at you.
07:50Not because I'm a saint.
07:51Because I'm not.
07:52It was because I always knew what I had with Roselle was special.
07:54She's special.
07:55No one could match the importance of what I felt for her.
07:58There was another reason why I never had affairs.
08:00I would never have risked doing anything that might hurt Roselle.
08:03I would sooner have died.
08:04She is a wonderful woman.
08:06Her children and her husband come first.
08:07I never want for anything at home.
08:09She's my girl.
08:10She's my best friend.
08:12The Devastating Death
08:14Perry suffered some major injuries and health issues throughout his life.
08:17He fell off a platform while taping Perry Como's Winter Show in 1971.
08:22After exams from two different doctors, his knee was found to be seriously broken.
08:26It took eight months to recuperate.
08:28He was also treated for bladder cancer in 1993.
08:31But none of that physical pain prepared him for the biggest mental agony of his life.
08:36Roselle died of a sudden heart attack two weeks after their 65th anniversary on August
08:4012, 1998.
08:42Losing her truly meant losing his best friend.
08:44Perry did live on for a few more years without him.
08:47He was held up by different types of love, such as love for family, his craft, and his
08:51fans.
08:52We'd love to hear from you.
08:53What's your favorite memory of Perry Como?
08:55Let us know in the comments section below.