Lena Zavaroni

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Back cover of Lena Zavaroni's first record album, Ma! He's Making Eyes at Me (1974)

Lena Zavaroni was a Scottish singer (November 4, 1963 - October 1, 1999).

[edit] Early life and musical career

Lena grew up in the small town of Rothesay on the Isle of Bute^[1] with musical parents. Her father Victor Zavaroni played the guitar, her mother Hilda sang and Lena herself sang from the age of 2.^[2] Her Italian surname came from her immigrant grandfather.^[2]

She was discovered in the summer of 1973 by record producer Tommy Scott who was on holiday in Rothesay and heard her singing in with her father and uncle in a band.^[2] Scott contacted impressario Phil Solomon which led to his partner Dorothy Solomon becoming Zavaroni's manager.^[2]

In 1974 she appeared on Hughie Green’s Opportunity Knocks and won the show for a record breaking 5 weeks running.^[3] She followed this with the album Ma, He's Making Eyes At Me which reached number 8 in the UK album chart.^[2] At 10 years 146 days old, she is still the youngest person to have an album in the top ten ^[4] and was also the youngest person to appear on the BBC's Top of the Pops.^[2]

1974 also saw Zavaroni singing a Hollywood charity show with Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball.^[2] Ball commented "You’re special. Very special and very very good,"^[2]although some sources attribute this to Sinatra.^[5] Following this Zavaroni guest starred on the Carol Burnett Show.^[2] She also appeared in the Morecambe and Wise Show, the 1976 Royal Variety Show and performed at the White House for US President Gerald Ford.^[2]

While attending London's Italia Conti Academy stage school, Lena met and became long-term friends with child star Bonnie Langford.^[5] The two starred in the TV show Lena and Bonnie.

Between 1980 and 1982 Lena had her own TV series on the BBC Lena Zavaroni and Music, which featured singing and dancing, and included guests such as Spike Milligan and Les Dawson.^[6]

[edit] Illness and later years

From the age of 13 Zavaroni suffered from anorexia nervosa^[3]. Whilst at stage school her weight dropped to 4 stone (25 kg).^[3] Zavaroni blamed this on the pressure placed upon her to fit into costumes whilst at the same time she was "developing as a woman".^[3]

She continued to suffer from anorexia throughout the 1980's and in 1989 she married computer consultant Peter Wiltshire.^[3] The couple settled in North London but they separated 18 months later. Also in 1989 Zavaroni's mother, Hilda, died of a tranquilliser overdose and a fire destroyed all of her showbiz mementos.^[3]

After the breakup of her marriage, Zavaroni moved to Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire to be nearer to her father and his second wife.^[3] By this time she was living off state benefits and in 1999 was accused of stealing a 50p packet of jelly, although the charges were later dropped.^[3]

Zavaroni underwent a number of drug treatments and received electroconvulsive therapy in an attempt to beat her anorexia.^[7] Her inquest was told that none of these had been successful in the long term.^[7] In addition she was suffering from depression and begged doctors to operate on her to relieve her depression.^[7] Although the operation would not cure her anorexia she was desperate for it to go ahead and threatened suicide (she also took a drugs overdose) if it did not.^[7]

In September 1999 Zavaroni was admitted to University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff for treatment and is believed to have undergone a leukotomy.^[8] After the operation she appeared to be in a satisfactory condition^[7] and after a week she was "making telephone calls, cheerful and engaging in conversation", even asking her doctor if he thought there was any chance that she would get back on stage.^[7] However, three weeks after the operation, she developed a chest infection and died from pneumonia on 1 October.^[1] She weighed less than 5 stone (32 kg).^[7]