1931 HITS ARCHIVE: You Call It Madness (But I Call It Love) - Russ Columbo

Singer Russ Columbo, a rising star of the 1930s often called a rival to Bing Crosby, died tragically in 1934 after a freak accident involving an antique firearm. But because his mother was gravely ill with a heart condition, his family feared the truth would ki*ll her. To protect her, they staged an incredible deception: for a full decade, relatives wrote fake letters as if from Columbo, claiming he was touring Europe, and replayed his old radio broadcasts to keep his presence alive. Friends hel

The Tragic Death of Russ Colombo — Larry Vuckovich Jazz Stories