I was so sad to wake up this morning to the news that Doris Day had passed away at age 97. It has been an absolute honour to share her life story through song over the past two years at the Avoca Beach Picture Theatre. Piano & Music direction (Rodric White) Double Bass 2018 (Ashley Turner) Double Bass 2019 (Ian Esplin)

Both performances (March 2018 and April 2019) were celebrating her birthday and I only mentioned this year how wonderful it would be to come back on her 100th birthday.

Well she didn’t quite make that milestone but she achieved more in her lifetime than one could ever imagine. An icon of music, cinema and the small screen, she prevailed in show business for over three decades, recorded over 650 songs, starred in close to 40 movies and then went on to success with her own TV show for 5 years.

It wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine in her personal life though - she was married 4 times, treated badly by two of her husbands and almost financially ruined by another. In researching her life, what most impressed me was her resilience and optimistic outlook on life.

Doris Day had every reason to continue to live out her days basking in the glory of her career but instead chose to retire from show business and devote her life to a cause very close to her heart - Animal Welfare. She lived her final decades away from the cameras, no constant stream of selfies and facebook posts for this classy lady! May we all learn from Doris Day’s humility and generosity but above all - her joy.

Through it all, she emanated such joy and that’s how I’ll remember her. The world has lost an unforgettable voice and a beautiful soul but her memory will live on.