[78-L] What happened to Rufy Vallee...

[muhrp at suffolk.lib.ny.us]

> Well, old age takes people lots of different ways, too often sadly. 

     My understanding was that Vallee suffered from Alzheimer's-like
dementia, which simply wasn't understood at the time.  It runs rampant in
my family so the symptoms are familiar, including inappropriate,
uncharacteristic behavior.  If that was indeed the case, he may have shown
symptoms as early as his mid 60's.  I remember reading that he passed away
while watching the Statue of Liberty centennial celebrations from New
York, having just commented to his wife that it looked like a terrific
party, and he wished he could have attended, as he enjoyed parties so
much.

Peter Muhr