RIP, Eydie Gormé

Aug 10, 2013 · 2 minute read · Comments
musicEydie GorméboleroLos Panchosballroom danceLatin musicSabor a mî

I learned that American singer Eydie Gormé just died.

I actually knew very little about her until reading about her death.

But she made a huge difference in my life!

Eydie Gormé and Los Panchos

I know of her only through her famous recordings from the 1960s of Latin music with Los Panchos. They recorded a number of classic boleros that constantly kept me company when I was doing ballroom dance over a decade ago.

In particular, I really enjoyed their performance of “Sabor a mî”, my favorite bolero of all time, both to listen to and to dance to.

It was interesting for me to learn, just now, that her parents were Sephardic Jews, her father from Sicily and her mother from Turkey.

Should I thank people before they die?

It is always strange to me when people die and I realize I barely knew anything about them, but feel deep gratitude for how they’ve so much enhanced my life. This was the case with Eydie Gormé.

I’ve never been into fandom, but lately I’ve been wondering, in an era when it actually is much easier to contact “celebrities”, whether sending a simple one-shot note to someone expressing gratitude, well before death, might be appropriate. Especially in the case of people who are actually not major celebrities (either because their prime time has passed or because their contribution is in a narrow niche). What do you think?