Tommy Tune – A Broadway Icon and Friend

tommy tune

A long time dear, dear friend, Tommy Tune, is celebrating his 70th birthday today. Happy Birthday Tommy!

George and I met Tommy 44 years ago in Houston, Texas. I hate to think how old that makes us. But Tommy is happy to say he is now 70 and he is still as energetic as he was in his 20’s not to mention he looks Fabulous. We are so proud to say he is our friend and with all the fame and notoriety he has received all these years, he is the same innocent, honest and loyal person we knew back in 1966.

Tommy has had a long and successful career as a dancer, choreographer, director, and actor and in the recent years a very established painter. He is in the Broadway Hall of Fame, won numerous awards including nine Tony Awards in various categories such as performer, director and choreographer, thus placing him in the top category of Tony Award winners. He also was honored by President Bush with the U.S. Medal of Arts Award in which he honored us with an invitation to the award ceremony held in the White House. It was a memorable event for us.

However, we think of Tommy not as the Broadway celebrity, but as a genuinely sincere and thoughtful person who makes anyone he meets feel at ease. He loves people and never lets his fame get in the way of greeting people from all walks of life. Tommy has not changed in all these years.

He not only loves people, he is also an animal lover and is very concerned about the care and treatment of animals which endears him even more to me. He never fails to ask how our little Freddie is doing and laughs when he hears Freddie barking in the background during our phone conversations. His Yorkie, Little Schubert, is a constant companion wherever he goes.

We are very impressed with his second career as an artist. He has developed into an accomplished painter and his recent artwork includes striking works on animals and nature. You can view his art on his web site www.tommytune.com.

Tonight, on his 70th birthday, Tommy is performing at the McCallum Theater in Palm Springs, California in a biographical musical about his life, “Steps in Time”. As usual, he has received rave reviews for his performance and the show.

Wish we were there tonight, but Tommy you are always in our hearts and mind. Have a wonderful 70th Birthday and many, many more!

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