What is Eddie Fisher's Net Worth?
Eddie Fisher was an American singer and actor who had a net worth of $30 million at the time of his death. Eddie Fisher was among the most popular celebrities in the US in the 1950s. Known for his hit recordings of such songs as "Thinking of You," "Any Time," "Tell Me Why," and "Wish You Were Here," he also hosted the television variety program "The Eddie Fisher Show." At the end of the 1950s, Fisher was involved in a scandal when it was revealed he had been cheating on his wife Debbie Reynolds with her friend Elizabeth Taylor, whom he subsequently married.
Early Life and Education
Eddie Fisher was born on August 10, 1928 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the fourth of seven children of Kate and Joseph, both Russian Jewish immigrants. His siblings were Sidney, Nettie, Miriam, Janet, Alvin, and Eileen. Fisher was educated at Thomas Junior High School, South Philadelphia High School, and Simon Gratz High School. A talented singer from an early age, he performed in many amateur talent shows and won a number of them. Fisher also appeared on radio, earning local renown. Because of his success, he dropped out of high school in his senior year to pursue his career in music.
Elizabeth Taylor And Eddie Fisher (Getty)
Music Career
In the mid-1940s, Fisher was performing with the bands of Buddy Morrow and Charlie Ventura. Later in the decade, he reached nationwide fame when he performed on Eddie Cantor's radio show. Subsequently, Fisher signed a recording contract with RCA Victor. He went on to have his first charting hit song with his cover of the popular show tune "Thinking of You," released in 1950. The next year, Fisher was drafted into the US Army; he ended up serving one year in Korea, during which time he served as the official vocal soloist for the US Army Band.
Following his discharge from the military, Fisher started singing in popular nightclubs and appearing on television variety shows. Thanks to his suave looks and smooth voice, he became a teen idol and one of the most popular singers of the 1950s. Between 1950 and 1956, Fisher had 17 songs in the top 10 of the Billboard chart, including "Any Time," "Wish You Were Here," "I'm Walking Behind You," "I Need You Now," and "Dungaree Doll." In 1957, he signed a deal with the newly opened Tropicana Las Vegas to appear there over a span of five years.
In the wake of his infidelity scandal, Fisher was dropped by RCA Victor in 1960. He went on to record for his own label, Ramrod Records, and later for Dot Records. Notably, in 1965, Fisher did the first commercial recording of the song "Sunrise, Sunset" from the stage musical "Fiddler on the Roof." The next year, he returned to RCA Victor and had a minor hit with the song "Games That Lovers Play," from his album of the same name. Fisher's last album for RCA was the Al Jolson tribute album "You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet," which came out in 1968. He later attempted a comeback tour in 1983 that was unsuccessful. Fisher released his last studio album, "After All," on Bainbridge Records in 1984.
Television and Film
From 1953 to early 1957, Fisher starred on the musical variety television program "Coke Time with Eddie Fisher." Broadcast on NBC, it was hosted by Freddy Robbins for most of its run. Fisher subsequently became the star of another NBC musical variety show, "The Eddie Fisher Show." That program ran from 1957 until its cancellation in 1959 amid Fisher's infidelity scandal and divorce. On the big screen, Fisher co-starred with his then-wife Debbie Reynolds in the 1956 musical comedy film "Bundle of Joy." Later, in 1960, he appeared alongside his second wife, Elizabeth Taylor, in the drama "BUtterfield 8."
Eddie Fisher and Connie Stevens (Photo by Art Zelin/Getty Images)
Relationships and Children
Fisher had a total of five wives and four children, as well as many mistresses. He wed his first wife, actress and singer Debbie Reynolds, in 1955; they had two children named Carrie Fisher and Todd Fisher. Fisher and Reynolds divorced in 1959 after it was revealed that Fisher had been having an affair with actress Elizabeth Taylor, a friend of Reynolds's whose husband Mike Todd had recently been killed in a plane crash. The affair was widely publicized, generating a major scandal. Fisher and Taylor married in 1959 and divorced in 1964.
Fisher married his third wife, actress and singer Connie Stevens, in 1967. They had two daughters named Joely Fisher and Tricia Fisher before divorcing in 1969. Both of their daughters became actresses and singers. Fisher next married Terry Richard in 1975; they divorced after about five months. His longest marriage was with his fifth and final wife, Betty Lin, to whom he was wed from 1993 until her passing in 2001.
Death
Fisher had a myriad of health problems in his later years, including issues with his knee, back, and eyes. On September 9, 2010, he fell and broke his hip; he subsequently underwent hip surgery. Fisher passed away later in the month, on September 22, from complications stemming from the surgery.
