BetteBack February 16, 1994: Martha Raye Checks Into Hospital Day Of Suit Against Midler

Sun Journal
Pneumonia lands 77-year-old singer in hospital again
February 16, 1994

Singer and comedian Martha Raye was hospitalized Tuesday for pneumonia, the latest boul of illness for the entertainer who performed for generations of U.S. troops overseas.

The 77-year-old singer, who has suffered a series of strokes, was admitted to Cedars -Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and was given oxygen and antibiotics to fight pneumonia in her right lung, said her husband and manager, Mark
Harris.

Raye was treated last week for pneumonia in her left lung, Harris said.

Harris, 42, said Raye seemed to be improving Tuesday evening. Once her pneumonia is controlled, doctors must decide whether to amputate three toes on her right foot, Harris said. Raye lost her left leg below the knee last year
because of poor circulation.

Raye checked into the hospital on the first day of her $5 million breach of contract lawsuit against actress Bette Midler. The lawsuit claims Midler and 20th Century Fox appropriated Miss Raye’s life story for the 1991 film “For TheÂ Boys.”