We’re sad to say that our dear friend Maria Perego, creator of Topo Gigio, passed away yesterday morning in her beautiful home in Milan. The mouse puppet that she made in the late 1950s in Italy became a worldwide phenomenon on The Ed Sullivan Show. Topo Gigio was a regular from his first appearance in 1962 to the end of the show’s run in 1971. Topo went on to appear in magazines, cartoons, albums, and even his own full length motion picture. To this day the little mouse is still a pop icon. R.I.P. Maria Perego (1923-2019)

Rip Taylor, the confetti-tossing actor and comedian, died Sunday.Here is Rip Taylor on The Ed Sullivan Show. February 2, 1964. https://youtu.be/8DVB4xD7W0c

"Willful Shadows tells the story of Sonny James and The Southern Gentlemen, written by one of The Southern Gentlemen himself, Gary Robble. During their time with Sonny James they were voted 1969’s Country Music Artist of the Year, were the first to record a live album in the Houston Astrodome, appear on The Ed Sullivan Show 4 times, and be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006. Sonny James witnessed the birth of rock-n-roll and by 1957, had sold over 3,000,000 singles of the first country-pop crossover hit “Young Love”. From 1964-1972 he and his vocal band of...

  Musician Dick Dale, “The King of the Surf Guitar” died in Loma Linda, California on March 16, 2019. He was 81. The American guitarist was a pioneer of surf music and his 1962 single “Let’s Go Trippin’” is often regarded as the first surf rock song. His signature sound mixed staccato picking and reverb with Middle Eastern melodies. Although his chart success in the 1960s was brief, his influence was immense. Dale’s most iconic...

Will Jordan, a gifted impressionist who appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show over fifteen times, died on Thursday at his home in Manhattan. He was 91. The stand-up comedian and actor had many impressions in his repertoire including Bing Crosby, Jack Benny and Groucho Marx, but it was his impression of Ed Sullivan that put him on the map. He was known as the man who “invented Ed Sullivan.” Many of...

D.J. Fontana, the drummer and sole surviving member of Elvis Presley’s band, has died at the age of 87. Fontana was the first drummer in Presley’s band and played on over 460 RCA cuts with him over their 14 years together, accompanying him on hits such as “Hound Dog,” “All Shook Up,” and “Blue Suede Shoes.” He can also be seen playing with him in the movies Jailhouse Rock, Loving You, and G.I. Blues. Fontana’s presence behind the drum kit was revolutionary and helped shape...

Roberta Peters, who at 20 was catapulted to stardom as a last-minute substitute in Don Giovanni, died on Wednesday at her home in Rye, New York. The cause of death was Parkinson’s disease. She was 86. Ms. Peters was one of the most prominent American opera singers, noted for her 35-year run as a soprano with the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York. In addition to the Met, Peters was heard at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Cincinnati Opera, the Vienna State Opera,...

Florence Henderson, who went from Broadway star to become one of the most popular moms in television history in The Brady Bunch, died Thanksgiving night at the age of 82. Her unexpected death was attributed to heart failure. Before she became known as “America’s Mom” on The Brady Bunch, Florence Henderson was an established Broadway star and a frequent presence on television. She was one of the Today show’s “Today girls,” reading the news and weather and occasionally...

Julia Meade, the iconic pitchwoman for The Ed Sullivan Show, passed away in her Manhattan home at the age of 90. Meade's charming, effervescent personality made her a fixture on The Ed Sullivan Show. She was the perfect blend of saleswoman and sex appeal that made her Ed Sullivan's go to gal for pitching live commercials. Meade's advertisements became so memorable that she became synonymous with Ed Sullivan's biggest sponsors,...

Cilla Black was a multi-talented singer, actress, and TV host with a career that spanned over 50 years. Born as Priscilla Maria Veronica White, she decided to go by the stage name “Cilla Black” when a Liverpool publication erroneously misprinted her name. Black started from humble beginnings, working as a cloakroom girl at the famous Cavern Club...