A few years back, I was hired to play the piano for a private party at The Everest Room. I was told that the event was for a celebrity exercise guru. Erroneously, I assumed it would be Richard Simmons.
Imagine my surprise when I arrived to find Jack LaLanne the guest of honor with his decades-long wife Elaine LaLanne. The company marketing his juicer was throwing a bash for Mr. Fitness. My father used to exercise every morning to Mr. LaLanne’s TV show so I was suitably impressed to meet him. One of the hosts asked if I would be amenable to accompanying Jack on a couple of songs. “Certainly,” I replied.
Knock me over with a feather, this guy could really sing, rendering top notch renditions of “If You Were the Only Girl In the World” and “I Believe.” He could have been on Broadway! His wife also sang a number, making them the cutest couple I had met in quite some time. Hearing of his recent passing brought back this indelible memory as I silently wished him well in that great big gymnasium in the sky.
Elizabeth Doyle’s writing is fun to read.