RIP Elaine Stritch

The New York legend/whirlwind of stage and screen, Elaine Stritch, passed away today at the age of 89. Known for a brash personality, salty tongue and good-time girl attitude, she was a staple of the cabaret scene for decades.

A multiple award winner, and TONY nominee, she sang at White Houses and

The two songs with which she became most affiliated were Stephen Sondheim's booze-soaked THE LADIES WHO LUNCH, and his ode to surviving in the showbiz spotlight, I'M STILL HERE.

For the Dueling Piano players from NYC, this loss rings especially close to home.

We, as a group, are all theatrically linked as writers, performers, or both. Like Ms. Stritch, we carry a sense of cabaret with us to our piano bar shows, creating intimate conversations with the audiences who come to see us, and also like her, the occasional adult language finds it's way into those conversations.

Unapologetic, unabashed and unafraid, she stirred life in a glass and drank it in doubles. When she talked, we listened. When she sang, we cheered. When she lived, we marveled.

A famous story she liked to tell involved her and Judy Garland in an all-night bender. Around breakfast time, Judy turned to her and said, "Elaine, I never thought I'd say this, but good night." We know how you feel.

Everybody rise.

#elainestritch #cabaret #rip #judygarland #stage