Ric de Azevedo, a soulful member of the huge King Family vocal company, music composer and television producer, has died. He was 75 years old.
De Azevedo died on March 14 after an undisclosed illness, King Family and King Cousins said in Facebook mail. He died at his home in Fruit Heights, a suburb of Salt Lake City, Utah, a family spokesman confirmed Tuesday in an email to The Times.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news that we have lost our beloved cousin and brother Ric de Azevedo who, surrounded by family members, passed away Tuesday night after a long illness. Even though we knew this was coming, it’s always too soon and we can’t believe it’s gone. Our hearts are breaking,” the March 15 post read.
The group began in the 1930s, assembled by William King Driggs, who was a college singing coach and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His daughters went on to form the family’s featured artists, the Grammy Award-nominated King Sisters, whose hits included “I’ll Get By” and “In the Mood.” Alyce King, a founding member of the quartet, was de Azevedo’s mother.
De Azevedo has also served as an associate producer or consultant on several television projects, including “The Far West,” “California Fever,” “Young Maverick,” “Private Benjamin,” and the “The Dukes of Hazzard” spin-off. “enos”. ”He recorded music along with the King Family and his teenage counterpart King Cousins for Warner Bros. Records, then recorded as a solo artist for Capitol Records. He has also served as a post-production executive for Universal Studios and Warner Bros. Television and as director of motion picture services for Warner Bros. Studios.
On screen, he was best known for his performances with television’s so-called Primera Familia de la Canción in the 1960s and 1970s and was considered a “cornerstone” in the musical troupe made up of more than three dozen family members. . Together, they starred in ABC’s musical variety series “The King Family Show,” which aired in 1965, 1966, and 1969. Although the show ended, the family repeatedly returned to national television with 17 holiday specials.
The acting group traveled constantly between the 1960s and 1970s and also performed on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and the variety show “The Hollywood Palace,” according to the family website. In the 1980s, she joined the vocalists of the Lettermen (brothers Jim and Gary Pike and Bob Engemann) to record as the new-style group Reunion and toured for three decades.
“A Christmas with the King Family,” which aired annually for years, initially aired in 1967 at the height of the Vietnam War. De Azevedo had been serving in the US Army at the time and surprised his mother during the broadcast to sing “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”. The Army’s public relations department issued and arranged a special license to boost the morale of families across the United States, the spokesman said.
“So many of you have come to know and love Ric and appreciate his incredible talent through our family’s television series, specials, records and concerts over the years. Ric was a vibrant part of our family shows and audiences have always delighted in his performances and appreciated the many memorable moments he was a part of, from singing and dancing on our Top Twenty segments, to his beautiful solos, and of course, the magical moment in which he surprised. his mom Alyce during our first Christmas special,” the post read.
“We are so grateful that these and so many other wonderful examples from his time on stage and screen live on and continue to captivate generations throughout the decades.”
The King Cousins, who wrote the Facebook post announcing de Azevedo’s death, described him as a “dear friend” and an “honorable man” offstage.
The King family on ABC in 1965.
(ABC/ABC Photo Archives)
“As all of us mourn the loss of a cornerstone of our family, we are grateful for the incredible and enduring legacy that he leaves us all, and grateful for the love and appreciation that each of you in our extended community of fans and friends They have shown. Ric and our entire family through the years,” they said.
De Azevedo was born Richard Renato de Azevedo on May 10, 1947, in North Hollywood to Alyce King and Sydney de Azevedo, who died after returning from service in World War II when the musician was 5, the spokesman said. (King later married actor-producer Robert Clarke.)
De Azevedo is survived by his wife Anna, children Jennifer and Eric, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Also survived by his brother, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” actor Cam Clarke and his cousin Tina Cole from “My Three Sons.”
