The Muscular Dystrophy Association announced yesterday that Jerry Lewis, 85, will not appear in this year’s MDA telethon, reports the
Baltimore Sun.
The absence of Lewis, who first raised money for muscular dystrophy on TV in 1952, “marks the end of a unique chapter in the union of show biz and charity,” says Mike Sragow of the Baltimore Sun.
The comedy king said in May that he would be at this year’s telethon and would end it, as always, with his rendition of Roger and Hammerstein’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
The MDA, however, confirmed in a statement that the 85-year-old will not be in attendance and will no longer serve as the association’s national chairman.
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