Died On This Date (December 5, 2011) Violetta Villas / Polish Torch Singer; ’60s Las Vegas Star
themusicsover Violetta Villas (Born Czesława Cieślak)
June 10, 1938 – December 5, 2011
Violetta Villas was a Polish soprano singer who, instead of taking the obvious route of opera, chose a career in pop music. Known as much for her magnificent head of blond curls as her four-octave voice, Villas starred in six films and recorded nearly 300 songs in ten different languages. In 1966, Villas was hired by the Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas to perform in their Casino de Paris. Her run lasted until 1971, and along the way she was joined on stage by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Eartha Kitt, Barbra Streisand, and Paul Anka. During the late ’70s, Villas returned to Poland to care for her dying mother, and was forced to hand her passport over to the Communist regime who forbade her from leaving the country for more than ten years. She was able to return to the world stage in 1987 so she toured the United States and Canada one last time. Violetta Villas was 73 when she passed away on December 5, 2011. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Thanks to Henk de Bruin at 2+ Printing for the assist.
Eartha Kitt was a star of stage and screen but also scored a few pop hits over the course of her lengthy career. Her exotic presence on film made her a pop culture icon who is beloved to this day. She is perhaps best remembered for her campy role as Catwoman on the ’60s television series, Batman. She also appeared in such films as St. Louis Blues and The Mark of the Hawk. Kitt made several recordings throughout her career, but it is her 1953 version of “Santa Baby” that is her most famous. She also had hits with “Where Is My Man” and “Under The Bridges of Paris.” Kitt continued to work on stage and film up until the final years of her life. On December 25, 2008, Eartha Kitt died of colon cancer at the age of 81.
