American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer and actress, born May 26, 1920 in Jamestown, North Dakota, USA and died January 21, 2002 in Bel Air, California, USA.
Received the Womens International Center (WIC) Living Legacy Award in 1987.
Gave birth to her only child at age 23, a daughter Nicki Lee Foster on November 11, 1943. Childs father was her 1st ex-husband, Dave Barbour.
A diabetic, Lee was often troubled by weight and glandular problems. In 1961, she was felled by double pneumonia and in 1976, she had a near-fatal fall in a New York hotel. She was again seriously injured in another fall in Las Vegas in 1987. In early 1985, she underwent four angioplasties - balloon surgery to open clogged arteries - and resumed her singing tour. While appearing in New Orleans in October 1985, she underwent double-bypass heart surgery. In 1998, she suffered a stroke which impaired her speech, requiring therapy to recover.
Her work on the Disney film Lady and the Tramp led to a landmark legal judgment 36 years later when a California court awarded her $2.3 million after she sued for a portion of the profits from the videocassette sale of the movie. The case hinged on a clause in her pre-video-era contract barring the sale of "transcriptions" of the movie without her approval.
She decided to become a singer at age 14, when she earned 50 cents a night at gigs for local PTAs. A few years later, she traveled to Fargo where she sang on a local radio station. The WDAY program director suggested a name change, and she became Peggy Lee.
Has a rose named after her. The "Peggy Lee" rose is pink with a touch of peach.
Voiced four different characters in Lady and the Tramp : Darling, Peg, and both the Siamese cats.
In addition to her accomplishments as a singer, she was a very fine songwriter, with several hit songs to her credit, many of them written in collaboration with her first husband, Dave Barbour. Her songwriting credits include: "Its a Good Day", "Manana", "I Dont Know Enough About You" (all with Barbour), "Bella Notte", "Peace on Earth" (both with Sonny Burke ), "Dont Forget to Feed the Reindeer" and "So, Whats New?" (with John Pisano and Ervin "Bud" Coleman).
Ranked #93 on VH1s 100 Greatest Women in Rock N Roll
At the time of her death, she was leading a potentially groundbreaking class-action lawsuit vs. Universal Music, a unit of Vivendi Universal. In early January 2002, the music giant agreed to pay $4.75 million in back royalties to as many as 300 performers to settle the suit.
She had pneumonia when she gave birth to her daughter and almost died.
She became engaged to her ex-husband David Barbour, who divorced her because he felt his drinking was not good for his daughter, four days before he died. He claimed he had been sober thirteen years by then and was ready to remarry her.
Is portrayed by Gwyneth Paltrow in Infamous
The original line-up on her 1958 smash hit "Fever" comprised: Jack Mondragon (double bass), Shelly Manne and Howard A. Roberts (electric guitar). It was Peggy Lee s idea to eliminate Roberts guitar, entirely, and have him provide the funky finger-snapping instead. Manne used his hands and fingers (rather than drumsticks) to tap his snare drum and tom-tom to the accompaniment of his bass drum.
Inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1992 and the American Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1999.
Peggy Lees final words, "Virgina doesnt come in till Tuesday." Virgina Bernard was her maid for many years.
Is the namesake of the "Margarita" cocktail. In 1948 Santos Cruz, a bartender at the famed Texas nightclub the Balinese Room, mixed up a new drink especially for her. He named it for the Spanish version of "Margaret" which is the formal version of "Peggy".
She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6319 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
Recipient of the North Dakota Roughrider Award.
Ana Gasteyer paid homage to Lee in an April 2013 TV advertisement for Weight Watchers by parodying both her appearance and signature tune, "Fever".
Sang the Lords Prayer at the funeral of Louis Armstrong.
She was a staunch Republican who gave much of her time and money towards various conservative political causes. She attended several Republican National Conventions, galas and fundraisers, and was active in the campaigns of Wendell Willkie , Thomas E. Dewey , Dwight D. Eisenhower , Richard Nixon , Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.
Peggy Lee passed away on January 21, 2002, four months away from what would have been her 82nd birthday on May 26.
Following her death, she was interred at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
Became a grandmother for the 3rd time at age 48 when her daughter Nicki Lee Foster gave birth to her son, Michael J. Foster, on June 2, 1968.
Became a grandmother for the 2nd time at age 47 when her daughter Nicki Lee Foster gave birth to her daughter, Holly E. Foster (Holly Foster Wells ), on June 21, 1967.
Became a grandmother for the 1st time at age 44 when her daughter Nicki Lee Foster gave birth to her son, David A. Foster, on October 1, 1964.
Delivered her daughter Nicki Lee Foster via emergency Caesarean section after it emerged during labor that her birth canal was too narrow.
Breastfed her daughter Nicki Lee Foster.
I loved acting, but my agents never brought me scripts. I was worth a,lot more to them on the road.
I sang before I could talk.
On personal power: Some of us just go along. . . until that marvelous day,people stop intimidating us -- or should I say we refuse to let them,intimidate us?.
