Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Yet another.. Fred Travalena dies at 66

This is topic Yet another.. Fred Travalena dies at 66 in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 06-29-2009, 08:19 AM:

Another celeb has fallen this weekend, impressionist Fred Travalena.

This guy was good. He did a dead-on Barry Manilow, among many, many others.

quote:
LOS ANGELES – Impressionist Fred Travalena, a headliner in Vegas showrooms and a regular on late-night talk shows with his takes on presidents, crooners and screen stars, has died in Los Angeles. He was 66.

Publicist Roger Neal says Travalena died Sunday at his home in the Encino area after a recurrence of the non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that first surfaced in 2002.

Travalena was known for the sheer volume of celebrities he imitated, leading to the nicknames "The Man of a Thousand Voices" and "Mr. Everybody."

His act included presidents from Kennedy to Obama, musicians from Frank Sinatra to Bruce Springsteen and actors from Marlon Brando to Tom Cruise.

The Bronx native started his career in Las Vegas in 1971.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 06-29-2009, 10:26 AM:

I remember seeing him on various talk shows and variety shows in the 1970s and 1980s. Not as well known as Rich Little, but he was very good at the impressionist craft.

Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 06-29-2009, 12:21 PM:

Tim this obsession with the deathwatch of yours is getting creepy. [Big Grin]

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 06-29-2009, 03:48 PM:

Tony... heheh... I was more shining a light on that ridiculous "they always come in threes" superstition. If someone wants to see threes, they will - no matter how you cut it.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 06-29-2009, 10:40 PM:

Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson were extremely famous. The others who kicked the bucket over this past week were well known, but not nearly in the same iconic level of fame as the previously mentioned three.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 06-30-2009, 05:20 PM:

Like I said, those who want to see threes (or whatever random number), will. If Farrah and Michael had not died, you can bet people would be counting Mays and Travalena to make their number "work".

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 06-30-2009, 08:32 PM:

If you REALLY want to disprove the rule of threes, all of these famous/well-known/celebrity people died on June 25, 2009. On the same day! OMG!

Michael Jackson, famous for something-or-other
Reg Dixon, popular 1950s British radio comedian
Yasmine, famous Belgian singer
Russ Whiteman, 1950s actor
Morton Gottlieb, Tony-winning Broadway producer
Alberto Ginastera, Argentinian composer
Farrah Fawcett, famous hottie
Igor Gouzenko, popularly known as the man who started the Cold War.
Sky Saxon, singer/songwriter/bassist
Trude Bechmann, German actress in the 1960s and 1970s