Dennis Crosby
| Dennis Crosby | |
|---|---|
|
Dennis Crosby (right) with Garry Moore, Betsy Palmer, and his brothers Lindsay and Phillip on I've Got a Secret in 1961. | |
| Born |
Dennis Michael Crosby July 13, 1934 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died |
May 4, 1991 (aged 56) Novato, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Dennis Michael Crosby Sr. |
| Spouse(s) |
Pat Sheehan (1958–1964; divorced; 3 sons Arleen Newman (1964–1991; divorced; 3 daughters and 1 adopted daughter) |
| Partner(s) |
Marilyn Miller Scott 1958 (one daughter Denise Crosby) |
Dennis Michael Crosby (July 13, 1934 – May 4, 1991) was an American singer and occasional actor, the son of singer and actor Bing Crosby, and twin brother of Phillip Crosby. He was the father of actress Denise Crosby.
Life and career
Dennis was a son of Bing Crosby and his first wife Dixie Lee. He attended Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose with his other brothers where he graduated in 1952 and subsequently enrolled at Washington State University at Pullman.
In the late 1950s, Dennis and his brothers, Lindsay and Phillip, often performed as the Crosby Brothers in nightclubs and on The Ed Sullivan Show, though Dennis reputedly wished to avoid such appearances.
While a young man, Crosby performed military service in Germany.
On May 4, 1958, Crosby married Pat Sheehan, a Las Vegas showgirl and model who had once dated his father. She was also Miss San Francisco of 1950, Playmate of the month of October 1958, and part-time actress. Within days, Crosby was sued by another woman, Marilyn Miller Scott, over the paternity of her daughter, Denise Crosby. The sensational lawsuit lasted three years and ended with Dennis being ordered to pay Scott child support and legal fees. This and the marriage to Sheehan and other details caused deep embarrassment for both him and his famous father. Although Bing died when his granddaughter was 19, the two reportedly never met.
Crosby and Sheehan had three sons: Gregory, Dennis Michael, Jr., and Patrick Anthony. In 1963, while working in Los Angeles for Bing Crosby Productions, he met Arleen Newman. On July 3, 1964, Crosby and Sheehan were divorced. Later that year, Crosby married Newman, with whom he had three daughters, including Kelly Lee Crosby and Erin Colleen Crosby. Additionally, Crosby adopted Newman's daughter, Catherine Denise Crosby, from her first marriage to Mike Buell, which ended in divorce. Dennis and Arleen divorced in 1991.
On December 11, 1989, Crosby's younger brother Lindsay committed suicide by a shotgun blast to the head.
Death
Deeply distraught by his brother's death and his recent divorce, as well as grappling with alcoholism, Dennis Crosby committed suicide on May 4, 1991 in Novato, California, also with a shotgun age 56. On January 14, 2006, Dennis's former wife, Pat Sheehan, died at the age of 74. Their son Dennis Michael Crosby, Jr. died on January 15, 2010, and Patrick Anthony Crosby (born New Year's Eve 1960), died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, on September 19, 2011, after a lengthy illness.
Family relations
- Son of Bing Crosby.
- Brother of Phillip (twin), Gary and Lindsay Crosby.
- Half-sibling of Harry Crosby, Nathaniel Crosby and Mary Crosby.
- Nephew of the bandleader Bob Crosby.
- Cousin of Cathy Crosby and Chris Crosby (singer).
- Uncle of L. Chip Crosby Jr.
- Father of Denise Crosby, Gregory Crosby, father-in-law of Spice Williams-Crosby