The late performer Sammy Davis Jr.'s third wife, singer and actress Altovise Davis has died at age 65. Sammy Davis Jr. was part of the Sinatra-led "Rat Pack" that often performed together in Las Vegas shows and in movies. Mrs. Davis died Saturday afternoon (March 14) after being hospitalized on Thursday. She suffered a stroke according to the Los Angeles Times. Altovise met Sammy Davis, Jr. in the mid sixties while the two worked together. The two married on May 11, 1970 in a Philadelphia courthouse presided by Rev. Jesse Jackson. Mrs. Davis spearheaded several philanthropic organizations, including Share Inc., a nonprofit group that raises money for developmentally disabled, abused and neglected children. Altovise was profiled in a...
- 3/15/2009
- by April MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
Beloved former Rat Pack member Sammy Davis Jr. died broke, in debt to the IRS, and left his estate in such a shambles that it still hasn't been straightened out.
And according to "Deconstructing Sammy" (due next month from Amistad/HarperCollins), by journalist Matt Birkbeck, Davis didn't have to die.
After a cancer diagnosis in August 1989, doctors recommended surgery on his throat that offered an 80 percent chance of survival. He opted instead for radiation, which had a slim 30 percent survival rate. Davis made his decision based on his dismal finances. If he couldn't sing, he reasoned, he couldn't make money.
And according to "Deconstructing Sammy" (due next month from Amistad/HarperCollins), by journalist Matt Birkbeck, Davis didn't have to die.
After a cancer diagnosis in August 1989, doctors recommended surgery on his throat that offered an 80 percent chance of survival. He opted instead for radiation, which had a slim 30 percent survival rate. Davis made his decision based on his dismal finances. If he couldn't sing, he reasoned, he couldn't make money.
- 8/5/2008
- NYPost.com
American comic Eddie Griffin is in negotiations with Sammy Davis Jr.'s widow Altovise in his bid to play the late great entertainer in a new biopic. The Undercover Brother star is a lifelong fan of the one-eyed Rat Pack hero and wants to portray the "What Kind Of Fool Am I?" crooner on the big screen. He says, "It's the dream project for me. I don't want to say too much about it though, because I don't want to jinx it. Sammy knocked down so many doors and went through hell to make sure that black performers could do what we do today."...
- 10/7/2002
- WENN
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