Edie Adams was a talented and versatile performer who won acclaim for her roles on Broadway, television, and film. She was also the wife and partner of the legendary comedian Ernie Kovacs, who died tragically in a car accident in 1962. But how did Edie Adams die, and what was her legacy? Here is a brief overview of her life and death.
Early Life and Career
Edie Adams was born as Edith Elizabeth Enke on April 16, 1927, in Kingston, Pennsylvania. She was the only daughter of Sheldon Alonzo Enke and Ada Dorothy Adams, who were both musicians. She learned to sing and play piano from her mother, and to sew from her grandmother. She attended Tenafly High School in New Jersey, where she was active in drama and music clubs.
She graduated from the Juilliard School of Music in New York City, where she studied opera and classical music. She also earned a degree in drama from Columbia University, and later studied at the Actors Studio. She aspired to become an opera singer, but her career took a different turn when she auditioned for a television show hosted by Ernie Kovacs.
She met Kovacs in 1950, when she appeared on his show as a singer. She impressed him with her voice and her sense of humor, and they soon became a comedy duo on TV. They eloped to Mexico in 1954, and married in a civil ceremony. They had one daughter, Mia Susan Kovacs, born in 1959.
Adams also pursued a successful career on Broadway, where she starred in musicals such as Wonderful Town (1953), Li’l Abner (1956), and The Apple Tree (1966). She won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Daisy Mae in Li’l Abner, and was nominated for two more for her roles in Wonderful Town and The Apple Tree.
She also appeared in several movies, such as The Apartment (1960), It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963), Love with the Proper Stranger (1963), Under the Yum Yum Tree (1963), The Best Man (1964), The Honey Pot (1967), and Up in Smoke (1978). She was known for her impersonations of celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Mae West, Marlene Dietrich, and Carmen Miranda.
Death and Legacy
Adams’ life changed dramatically when her husband Ernie Kovacs died in a car crash on January 13, 1962. He was driving his Chevrolet Corvair station wagon in Los Angeles, when he lost control of the vehicle and hit a utility pole. He died instantly from head injuries. He was 42 years old.
Adams was devastated by his death, and faced financial difficulties due to his unpaid taxes and debts. She had to sell some of their properties and assets to pay off the IRS and other creditors. She also fought a custody battle with his ex-wife over his two children from his first marriage, Betty Kovacs Kiesel and Kip Raleigh Kovacs.
She continued to work as an actress and singer, and hosted her own TV show, Here’s Edie (later The Edie Adams Show), from 1963 to 1964. She also appeared as a guest star on many popular shows, such as The Lucy Show, The Muppet Show, Fantasy Island, Murder, She Wrote, Designing Women, and ER.
She remarried twice after Kovacs’ death. Her second husband was Martin Mills, a photographer whom she married in 1964 and divorced in 1971. Her third husband was Pete Candoli, a jazz trumpeter whom she married in 1972 and divorced in 1988. She had no children with either of them.
She died on October 15, 2008, at the age of 81, in Los Angeles, California. The cause of death was pneumonia and cancer, according to her son Josh Mills [according to Wikipedia]. She was buried next to Kovacs at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills.
Adams is remembered as a talented and versatile performer who made audiences laugh with her wit and charm. She was also a successful businesswoman who founded two beauty companies: Edie Adams Cosmetics and Edie Adams Cut ‘n’ Curl. She preserved the legacy of her husband Ernie Kovacs by producing several documentaries and books about him. She also donated his archives to the Library of Congress.
She received many honors and awards for her work, including an Emmy nomination for her TV work with Kovacs [according to Britannica], a Golden Globe nomination for her role in Love with the Proper Stranger [according to Wikipedia], a Grammy nomination for her album Show Time on Broadway [according to Wikipedia], and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame [according to Wikipedia].
