Bobby Darin

by Al DiOrio

Description by OLDIES.com:

This is the incredible story of Walden Robert Cassotto, a boy from the Bronx who was told that he would die before he was twenty. But the doctors hadn't counted on the iron will of the young man who would become Bobby Darin - a gifted singer who would make it to the big time with his first recording ("Splish Splash"); a dynamic nightclub performer whose act would become one of the biggest draws in Las Vegas; a powerful actor who would be nominated for an Oscar; and a talented composer who would write, publish, and produce dozens of hit songs.

But Bobby Darin's enormous success came with a heavy price. His heart disease locked him into a lifelong routine of medications, oxygen tanks, and hospitalizations, and forced him into a series of retirements from the performances that he loved as much as life itself. His storybook marriage to actress Sandra Dee was torn apart by the demands of his career and ended in divorce despite their continued devotion. his deep commitment to political activism was shattered by the assassin's bullet that ook Bobby Kennedy, a hero who was also a friend. And to these tragedies was added one final blow before his ultimate demise: the discovery at the age of 32 that the very foundation of his life had been a lie.