George Liberace (July 31, 1911 – October 16, 1983) was an American musician and television performer.

Biography

Born in

Menasha, Wisconsin Menasha () is a city in Calumet and Winnebago counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 18,268 at the 2020 census. Of this, 15,144 were in Winnebago County, and 2,209 were in Calumet County. The city is located mostly in Win ...

on July 31, 1911, George Liberace was the elder brother and business partner of famed entertainer

Liberace Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer, and actor. A child prodigy born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish origin, he enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordi ...

. He appeared regularly on his brother's syndicated television show in the 1950s as violin accompanist and orchestral arranger. On occasions when he did not appear, Liberace would often say his

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

"I wish my brother George was here". In the 1960s and 1970s, his name was licensed to George Liberace Songsmiths, Inc., a mail-order music publishing operation of somewhat dubious integrity. On October 5, 1974, a new independent UHF television station, KMUV-TV Channel 31, signed on with George Liberace who worked at the station as the general manager and on-the-air host. The new station played non-stop movies. However, on May 1, 1976, KMUV abandoned its all-movie format and largely began to air Spanish-language programming, along with some English-language religious programs. George Liberace resigned his managerial job with KMUV at about this time. In 1979, he retired from conducting and performing the violin onstage and devoted most of his time to managing the Liberace Museum in Las Vegas, even occasionally giving tours to visitors himself in showing the cars, pianos and costumes and other artifacts owned by his brother. From 1967 until his death, George Liberace was married to Eudora Albrecht. He lived most of his life in Palm Springs, California, in a house owned by his brother. George Liberace died of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

at a hospital in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, on October 16, 1983, at age 72, and was interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the

Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills are a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Geography The Hollywood Hills straddle the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains. The neighborhood touches Studio City, Univer ...

References

External links

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George Liberace on Song-Poems
1911 births 1983 deaths 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American violinists American male violinists Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Deaths from cancer in Nevada Deaths from leukemia Imperial Records artists Musicians from Palm Springs, California Musicians from Wisconsin People from Menasha, Wisconsin {{US-musician-stub