Singer Julius La Rosa dead at 86

Most famous for being fired on the air by Arthur Godfrey in 1953, Julius La Rosa passed away at age 86.

Godfrey said he fired him because he lacked “humility” and because he had hired an agent

“I was 23 years old then and filled with myself,” La Rosa said in a 1991 interview with the New York Times. “Who isn’t at 23, especially if you’re a celebrity?”

The public firing actually boosted La Rosa’s career for a while. He served as the summer replacement on Perry Como’s TV show in 1955. That’s when he met Como’s secretary, Rosemary Meyer, and married her. He went on to get his own TV show in 1955. He also appeared on numerous other variety shows in the 1950s and ’60s, including Ed Sullivan’s. He was also nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 1980 for best supporting actor for his role on “Another World.”

La Rosa lived for 42 years in Irvington, in New York’s Westchester County, his daughter said, and continued to tour, perform and act for decades. He was also a longtime disc jockey on WNEW-AM in New York.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.