LOS ANGELES (AP)
-- Although he would joke in later years that he had become better known
as Bonnie Raitt's father, a ringing baritone voice and memorable performances
in such musicals as "Carousel" and "Pajama Game" would keep John Raitt's
name prominent in the minds of theatergoers throughout his long life.
Raitt died Sunday
at his Pacific Palisades home of complications from pneumonia. He was
88.
"My dad was the
most loving, wonderful father to us kids, husband to his wife and the greatest
singer I've ever heard," Bonnie Raitt said in a statement released Monday.
"His life and monumental contribution to the history of Broadway musical
theater will be an inspiration always."
Raitt created the
role of Billy Bigelow in the original New York production of "Carousel" and
sang with Doris Day in the movie "Pajama Game," just two of many highlights
in a career spanning more than 60 years. |
