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Iconic vocalist Keely Smith dies from apparent heart failure at 89
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Keely Smith has died at age 89. Here is a press release regarding her death:
“Keely Smith, the iconic singer/performer known for her many solo recordings as well as her musical partnership with first husband Louis Prima died in Palm Springs, CA on Saturday, December 16. She was 89 and under physicians’ care at the time of her passing from apparent heart failure. Born Dorothy Jacqueline Keely in Norfolk VA on March 9, 19 28 of Native American (Cherokee) and Irish parentage, Smith showed a natural aptitude for singing at a young age. At 14, she sang with a naval air station band and at 15, she got her first paying job with the Earl Bennett band.
Smith, still a teenager, auditioned to be the “girl singer” in Prima’s band, got the job and hit the road with them in 1948. She and Prima married in 1953 and had two children together, Toni Prima and Luanne Prima, both of whom survive their mother. The Smith and Prima combination was a potent one both on stage, on television, in films and on records and made Keely Smith a household name.
