Martin was married to Alice Faye early in his career. This was a starter marriage for both of them. They divorced after a couple of years, and then they both enjoyed long marriages to other people. Alice Faye was married for over 50 years to bandleader Phil Harris, while Martin was married for some sixty years to dancer Cyd Charisse. He had a successful cabaret act with Cyd. She passed away in 2008 at the age of 86. They had a son together who passed away last year.
I always have to put those things in there because I always find them interesting even if readers don't.
From an obit:
Although he was no longer a belter, the rich timbre of his voice was "surprisingly unchanged from what it was in the 1940s and '50s," according to a 2009 New York Times review during a five-night engagement at a New York City nightclub.
Cued by his pianist, the 95-year-old Martin sang "perfectly recollected versions" of songs associated with such contemporaries as Bing Crosby ("I Surrender, Dear") and "There's No Tomorrow," which Martin said was given to him by Perry Como, according to the review.
Martin viewed his performing style as heartfelt, telling The Times in 1960: "I think I sound like a fella who's always making a plea through his music. Sort of a plea of sincerity."
It's something to be able to sing professionally well into one's nineties. It's not very common. In fact, it's damned near unique with the possible exception of Frankie Laine.
Martin was in lots of films. One of his least notable was The Big Store. In it, Martin sang "The Tenement Symphony." It wasn't much of a song--it's downright bizarre in places--but Martin could definitely belt it out and rise above the material. He had a wonderful voice:
Tony and Cyd in a 1967 Hollywood Palace segment:
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