Lola Dee dies at 95: Pretty Eyed Baby singer passes away due to natural causes at nursing facility
- The Pretty Eyed Baby singer died of natural causes on Thursday.
- She previously released her 1951 hit under the name Lola Ameche.
- The vocalist eventually left her music career in the ’70s to care for her mother, who had Alzheimer’s disease.
Lola Dee died Thursday at the age of 95.
The singer died of natural causes at a nursing home in Hinsdale, Illinois, according to a statement from her publicist and CD producer Alan Eichler.
She was a popular singer in the 1950s and toured with Bob Hope, Jimmy Durante and Johnny Ray.
Her 1951 hit “Pretty Eyed Baby,” which she released under the direction of Lola Ameche at age 23 before changing her name in the ’60s, peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard singles chart.
Dee was born Lorraine DeAngelis in Chicago in 1928 and began her career as a child star, performing in local amateur shows in Junior Junction at the age of 14.
Lola Dee died Thursday at the age of 95. The singer died of natural causes at a nursing home in Hinsdale, Illinois, according to a statement from her publicist and CD producer Alan Eichler.
By age 16, she had signed a recording contract. She recorded for the Columbia and Mercury labels in the 1950s.
In 1951, she collaborated with the Al Trace Orchestra to record her hit single, “Pretty Eyed Baby.”
The following year they worked together on another hit, Hitsity Hotsity.
Over the next three years, she recorded more than two dozen songs.
Some of the songs she released during this time included swing versions of Dance Me Loose, Old Man Mose, Down Yonder, Take Two Tango and Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes.
With the rise of rock and roll in the 1960s, she changed her nickname to Lola Dee to appeal to a younger market.
At the suggestion of her label, she also bleached her dark hair to platinum blonde.
In 1954, she recorded and released Padre and Dig That Crazy Santa Claus, which was covered by Brian Setzer in 2005.
She is best known for her 1951 hit Pretty Eyed Baby, which she released under the direction of Lola Ameche at age 23 before changing her name in the ’60s. The track peaked at number 21 on the Billboard singles chart.
However, her music career was put on hold when she took a step back to care for her mother, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Dee returned to Chicago and was a featured singer on WGN radio and television.
From 1971 to 1971, she worked frequently with NPR Hall of Fame broadcaster Orion Samuelson.
Her last public appearances were singing the national anthem for the Chicago Bears and Chicago White Sox in 1978.
She later worked as an executive concierge at a hotel.
Dee is survived by her son Barry, whom she shared with her late husband Rudolph Valentino, not to be confused with the movie star of the same name.