Singer Kaye Stevens dies

Singer/actress Kaye Stevens died Wednesday while in a Florida hospital at age 79.

Stevens was known for performing with the Rat Pack members Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin and Joey Bishop. She also frequently guest starred on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. During the Vietnam War, Stevens performed with Bob Hope’s USO tour for American soldiers.

Her friend, Gerry Schweitzer, stated that she died at the Villages Hospital, near Orlando, of complications with blood clots and breast cancer.

Born Catherine Louise Stephens in Pittsburgh, she moved to Cleveland when she was a teenager. It was there that she began singing and playing the drums. Stevens would go on to marry bandleader and trumpet player Tommy Amato, with whom she performed through the eastern U.S. Amato died years later and the couple had no children.

While performing in New Jersey, Stevens met Ed McMahon, Carson’s partner, who helped her get other bookings. McMahon also introduced her to Carson and the Rat Pack members. She became famous when she had to fill in for Debbie Reynolds at The Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas. Stevens’s performance became an instant success.

Stevens also acted. Her movies include The New Interns (1964), which earned her a Golden Globe nomination. She was also a regular on the soap opera, Days of Our Lives, from 1974-1979.

In recent years, Stevens began her own ministry, where she performed Christian and patriotic music. A park in Margate, Fla. was named in honor of her.