Robert Goulet, whose deep-voiced crooning of many pop culture hits gained him stardom in the early 1960s, has died from pulminary complications at age 73. Goulet was awaiting a lung transplant at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. By all accounts, he kept his sense of humor to the end. Goulet soared to fame in 1960 playing Lancelot in the Broadway production of Camelot opposite Richard Burton and Julie Andrews. Franco Nero was cast in the role for the 1967 film version, but by then Goulet was a superstar and a regular presence on top variety shows like Ed Sullivan. Goulet's talents extended to TV and feature films. He jumped on the James Bond wagon in the mid-1960s, starring as a spy in the short-lived Blue Light TV series. (A feature film compiled from various episodes was released as I Deal in Danger.) Goulet also gained praise for spoofing his own image in Louis Malle's 1981 classic Atlantic City and in the 1991 hit The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear. In that comedy hit, Goulet played a villain obsessed with Priscilla Presley. This was an inside joke pertaining to a legend that Elvis so resented Goulet that he used to shoot out the TV with a handgun whenever he appeared on screen.
For the full report on Robert Goulet's life and career, click here.