Editing Eddie Fisher (section)

== Pop Star Ascendancy ==

Fisher's recording career, spanning the early 1950s, produced hits that made him one of the era's most popular vocalists. Songs including "Wish You Were Here," "I'm Walking Behind You," and "Oh! My Pa-Pa" demonstrated the romantic style that audiences embraced, his voice conveying emotion that lyrics required. His television program, "Coke Time with Eddie Fisher" (1953-1957), extended his reach to viewers who might not purchase records, his telegenic presence adding visual appeal to vocal talent.<ref name="fisher"/>

His marriage to Debbie Reynolds in 1955 created a celebrity couple that fan magazines celebrated as ideal American romance. The scandal that erupted when he left Reynolds for Elizabeth Taylor in 1958—Taylor's husband Mike Todd having recently died—transformed his image from romantic ideal to home-wrecker. The public reaction demonstrated how completely celebrity persona could reverse, his popularity declining as audience sympathy transferred to the wronged Reynolds.<ref name="guralnick"/>

His marriage to Taylor (1959-1964), followed by marriages to Connie Stevens and others, continued generating the tabloid coverage that his musical career no longer could. The personal drama that his life provided—affairs, addictions, financial problems—eclipsed achievements that had made him famous. His later years, marked by attempts at comeback and by biographical candor about his failures, demonstrated how completely entertainment success could reverse.<ref name="fisher"/>