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Dean Martin attracted both men and women. Men liked him because he had that calm, gentle, and carefree demeanor. Women liked him because he was literally tall and dark and handsome and had that mischievous glint in his eyes.

It was often said that Dean looked like a model just out of a menswear magazine. I remember once hearing someone say that Dean looked just as comfortable in his tux as most people in pajamas. Relaxed and charming are perhaps two words that sum up his personality. Added to that, Greg Garrison, his producer, once said that Dean had a lasting smile and that what you see with Dean is exactly what you get.

If anyone ever wanted to find a celebrity role model, it would be Dean. The entertainment industry has always had its share of scandals, but it kept its life private and certainly never contributed to it.

Instead, you see a man who was always kind to the people he worked with, would be on time for their calls on stage, and would support other artists who worked with him. Charles Nelson Reilly was a guest on Dean’s television show. He said if they were doing a comedy skit and Charles was laughing a lot, Dean would nudge him with his foot, wanting to say something nice to you, Charles.

Dean and his partner Jerry Lewis were part of one of the highest-rated comedy teams in history. The Martin & Lewis team lasted 10 years from 1946-1956. Towards the end, they hardly spoke to each other, except when performing on stage.

After several movies, his own television show that was part of the Colgate Comedy Hour, and his many nightclub appearances, they left him. Their last team appearance was at the famous Copacabana in New York City.

Although Dean had a calm and laid-back personality, he was his own man. For example, it was Dean who put an end to the Martin & Lewis comedy act. Jerry had increasingly taken over the scripts for his films, and Dean had grown weary of the roles he was told to play. I wanted to make more serious movies. Dean had enough and said he was finishing his act.

Both Dean and Jerry had their own management people and of course there was a lot of money involved given their various business ventures. Obviously, the attorneys for each team saw this as a disaster. At the beginning of the great process of figuring things out, one of the attorneys told Dean ‘you can’t just walk away from $ 30 million in revenue’ and Dean replied ‘oh yeah, just look at me’.

Many of the nightclubs and casinos on the West Coast and East Coast in those days were owned or run by the mob. Dean’s friend Frank Sinatra would bow down and hang out with certain mob members, but Dean was again his own man. He did quite well what he wanted, and sometimes he did a special benefit show for them if they asked, but he didn’t go overboard with any of them.

Another example was when Frank was in a party mood and after shows he wanted to party. Many of Frank’s friends were “yes” men, but Dean was not. If Frank wanted Dean to hang out and party, but Dean didn’t, then Dean would say no and catch up with him later.

One of Dean’s passions was playing golf. If he was going to play the next day, he wouldn’t stay out until late at night, as he liked to start early. Dean’s son Ricci said his father was actually an early riser for most of his working life. Dean was a really good golfer and played from scratch when he was at the top of his game.

There have been stories about Dean’s singing style that said he was influenced by Bing Crosby. But the truth is that his main influence was Harry Mills of the Mills Brothers. If one were to see a video of the famous brothers singing, it is clear that there are some similarities between the style of Dean and Harry.

Dean had been married three times. His second marriage was to Jeanne Martin and lasted 20 years from 1949 to 1969 when they separated. The divorce was finalized in 1973. In later years they were seen together from time to time and the public wondered if perhaps they would get back together. Jeanne once mentioned in an interview that when Dean walked into a room at a function it was like magic. It seems like he still has feelings for Dean.

Jeanne firmly believed in family. She accepted all four children from Dean’s previous marriage to live and stay with them and she loved each of them along with the three children she had with Dean.

Dean’s son, Dean Paul, was an officer in the California Air National Guard and was killed in 1987 when his F-4 Phantom military fighter plane crashed in the San Bernardino mountains. Many people in entertainment and friends said that Dean never recovered from the loss of his son.

In 1993, Dean’s health began to deteriorate and he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died of acute respiratory failure at his home on Christmas Day 1995.

How could anyone forget some of Dean’s songs whose melodies will live in our minds? Songs like “Somewhere Hay a Someone,” written by my friend Baker Knight, “You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You,” and their title track “Everybody Loves Somebody,” written by Ken Lane, will be around for a long time. . Even to this day I miss Dean a lot, but we all still have his wonderful songs to listen to (smile).

So everyone loves someone sometime and we all love you, Dean. Good night.

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