1. Helen Forrest's father died from influenza when Helen was an infant so she was raised by her mother, who often blamed her husband's death on Helen's birth.
17 Facts About Helen Forrest
1. 2.
Helen Forrest believed God had taken her husband because she had wished so much for a baby girl.
3.
Helen Forrest's mother married a house painter, whom Helen disliked.
4.
Anxious to find a career in singing, Helen Forrest dropped out of high school to pursue her dream.
5.
Helen Forrest returned to Atlantic City and began singing with her brother Ed's band.
6.
Helen Forrest soon returned to New York City, where she visited song publishers and performed an audition for a 15-minute slot for a local radio show.
7.
When Helen Forrest became aware of this, she stated that like Holiday, she would not take the stage until she was to sing.
8.
In 1942 and 1943, Helen Forrest was voted the best female vocalist in the United States in the Down Beat poll.
9.
Helen Forrest appeared in the film Two Girls and a Sailor.
10.
In that same year, Helen Forrest joined Harry James again in the studio to record a new swing album called, Harry James in Hi-Fi, which became a bestseller.
11.
Helen Forrest continued to make occasional records and perform in concerts and was performing at Lake Tahoe with Frank Sinatra Jr.
12.
In 1977, Helen Forrest participated in a television reunion of herself, James, and Haymes on The Merv Griffin Show.
13.
In 1980, six months following Haymes' death, Helen Forrest suffered a stroke, but recovered to resume performing and recording.
14.
In 1983, Helen Forrest released her final album, entitled Now and Forever.
15.
Helen Forrest suffered scarlet fever as a youngster, which left her with a hearing loss.
16.
Helen Forrest was laid to rest at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery, in the Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, in an temporary marker.
17.
At the peak of her career, Helen Forrest was the most popular female singer in the United States.