Danny Kaye is now a Bench!

 

"I became an entertainer not because I wanted to but because I was meant to."

Danny Kaye was born David Daniel Kaminsky in Brooklyn, New York on January 18, 1911.  He was the youngest of three sons born to Russian-Jewish immigrants.  Sadly, his mother would pass away when he was still just a teenager.

As a young boy, Kaye aspired to be a surgeon, but medical school was not a financial reality.  His second option was show business, a career that would sustain him for the rest of his life.

He got his first break in 1933, when he joined a vaudeville dance act.  It was during this period that he adopted his stage name.  He had also recently met Miss Sylvia Fine, the woman he'd spend the next five decades with.

Kaye's career lasted just as long.  He'd star in such box office hits as White Christmas with Bing Crosby and The Court Jester with Angela Lansbury.  He was no stranger to television either.  After a slew of specials in the early 1960s, he'd eventually host his own variety series, The Danny Kaye Show, which ran from 1963 to 1967.  

In 1983, Kaye underwent quadruple bypass heart surgery.  During the procedure, he contracted Hepatitis C, from which he'd never recover.  It ultimately contributed to his death on March 3, 1987.  He was 76 years old.  He was cremated and the ashes were given to Sylvia.

Now, this is where it gets weird.  Sylvia died four years later and she was cremated as well.  Her ashes, as well as her husband's, were placed inside of a memorial bench at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York.   

Location: Valhalla Plot, Section #19, Lot #1

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Danny Kaye, take a voyage to Amazon.  Its all in books.
  
  
• A one-hour documentary entitled American Masters: Danny Kaye - A Legacy of Laughter was released in 1996.  You can watch it in its entirety on YouTube.
  
  
• Prior to her death, Sylvia donated a score of materials to the Library of Congress, including recordings, scripts, awards and other memorabilia.  Many of these items are available online via the Library of Congress website.  Check out the Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine Collection.
  
  
• Kaye served as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, eventually raising more than $5 million for the charitable organization.  For his work, he was awarded France's highest civilian accolade, the Legion of Honor. 
  
  
• Kaye was a certified commercial pilot.  During one flight, he correctly diagnosed himself as having appendicitis.  He landed the plane at the nearest airport and went to a hospital, where he underwent an emergency appendectomy.  Believe it or Not!