Kelly oversaw Liberace's musical development for ten years. Liberace concentrated on his piano playing and became prodigious with the instruction of music teacher Florence Kelly. In childhood, Liberace suffered from a speech impediment and as a teen from the taunts of neighborhood children who mocked his avoidance of sports and his fondness for cooking and the piano. The Great Depression was financially hard on the Liberace family. My dreams were filled with fantasies of following his footsteps…Inspired and fired with ambition, I began to practice with a fervor that made my previous interest in the piano look like neglect". "I was intoxicated by the joy I got from the great virtuoso's playing.
At age eight, he met Paderewski backstage after a concert at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee. He studied the technique of the famous Polish pianist Ignacy Paderewski. By age seven, he was capable of memorizing difficult pieces. Liberace's prodigious talent was evident from his early years.
While Sam took his children to concerts to further expose them to music, he was also a taskmaster demanding high standards from the children in both practice and performance. Liberace began playing the piano at age four. Liberace later stated, "My dad's love and respect for music created in him a deep determination to give as his legacy to the world, a family of musicians dedicated to the advancement of the art". While Sam encouraged music in his family, his wife, Frances, believed music lessons and a record player to be unaffordable luxuries.
Sam played the French horn in bands and movie theaters but often worked as a factory worker or laborer. Liberace was born with a caul which, in some cultures, is considered indicative of genius, good luck, or the promise of a prosperous future. Liberace had a twin sibling who died at birth. His mother, Frances Zuchowska (Aug– November 1, 1980), was of Polish descent. His father, Salvatore ("Sam") Liberace (Decem– April 1, 1977), was an immigrant from Formia, Italy. Liberace (known as "Lee" to his friends and "Walter" to family) was born in West Allis, Wisconsin. 3 Lawsuits and allegations of homosexuality.In November 2013, a few dozen of his famous costumes and cars went on display for a six-week period at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas in an exhibition titled "Too Much of a Good Thing Is Wonderful", Liberace's unofficial motto, and an often-used one liner from his act. Worth over $110 million at the time of his death, Liberace bequeathed the bulk of his estate to his scholarship foundation, but his official museum closed its doors in 2010 due to an economic downturn. Against the wishes of his estate, the Riverside County coroner ordered an official autopsy and determined that Liberace had died of an AIDS-related illness, making him the second major celebrity after Rock Hudson to officially succumb to the illness during the early days of media frenzy surrounding the disease. Liberace's death remains controversial because there had been rumors prior to his death that he had contracted HIV, which his management, publicist, friends, and even Liberace himself had vehemently denied. Liberace also released a book on his life, and performed 21 sold out shows at Radio City Music Hall which set box office records a few months before his death in Palm Springs, California on February 4, 1987. Toward the end of his life, his former chauffeur and lover, Scott Thorson, unsuccessfully sued him for palimony, slander and conversion of property. Throughout his career, Liberace publicly denied his homosexual orientation and successfully sued both The Daily Mirror newspaper and Confidential magazine, who reported some of his gay relationships, winning damages and legal fees.
Liberace was recognized during his career with two Emmy Awards, six gold albums and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Liberace embraced a lifestyle of flamboyant excess both on and off stage, acquiring the sobriquet "Mr.
At the height of his fame from the 1950s to the 1970s, Liberace was the highest-paid entertainer in the world, with established residencies in Las Vegas, and an international touring schedule. Władziu Valentino Liberace He was informally known as "Lee" to his friends and "Walter" to his family (– February 4, 1987), known as Liberace, was an American pianist and entertainer.Ī child prodigy and the first generation son of working class immigrants, Liberace's career spanned four decades of concerts, recordings, television, motion pictures, and endorsements.