Steve & Eydie singer Steve Lawrence dead at 88

Steve Lawrence, who sang hits like "Go Away Little Girl" and was part of the pop duo Steve & Eydie with wife Eydie Gormé, has died. He was 88. 

Lawrence died from complications due to Alzheimer’s disease, Susan DuBow, a spokesperson for the family, confirmed to Fox News Digital. 

The couple first met on Steve Allen's "Tonight" in 1954 and married three years later in 1957. 

"I think Steve Allen was the biggest thing that happened to me," Lawrence, who would sing and joke with Allen in the style of the modern "Tonight Show," once said. "Every night I was called upon to do something different. In its own way, it was better than vaudeville."

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Steve Lawrence, seen with wife and singing partner Eydie Gormé, has died. (AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler, File)

The couple also starred together on "The Steve Lawrence-Eydie Gormé Show" in 1958, and Lawrence had his own series, "The Steve Lawrence Show," in 1965.

Their son David Lawrence said in a statement sent to Fox News Digital, "My Dad was an inspiration to so many people. But, to me, he was just this charming, handsome, hysterically funny guy who sang a lot. Sometimes alone and sometimes with his insanely talented wife. I am so lucky to have had him as a father and so proud to be his son. My hope is that his contributions to the entertainment industry will be remembered for many years to come."

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Steve Lawrence, center, sings with Steve Allen and wife Eydie Gormé. (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

Lawrence was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1935, and when he was 16, he won Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts competition.

His first record, "Poinciana," in 1952, sold more than 100,000 copies.

Steve & Eydie appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "The Hollywood Palace" in the 1960s and also performed their act on stage in New York, Las Vegas, Chicago and Miami. 

Lawrence was nominated for a Tony for his 1964-65 performance in Broadway's "What Makes Sammy Run?," and the couple starred in Broadway's "Golden Rainbow" in 1968-69. 

In the '70s, Lawrence appeared regularly on "The Carol Burnett Show," and the couple also won numerous Emmy Awards for their three TV specials on the Gershwins, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin. 

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Burnett shared a photo of Lawrence on her show on her Instagram, writing, "Steve was one of my favorite guests on my variety show, appearing 39 times. He was also my very close friend … so close that I considered him ‘family.’ He will always be in my heart."

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"We had a chance to get in on the ground floor of rock ‘n’ roll," Lawrence once recalled in a 1989 interview about how he and Gormé were approached about modernizing their style. "It was 1957 and everything was changing, but I wanted to be Sinatra, not Rick Nelson."

He joked, "Our audience knows we're not going to load up on heavy metal or set fire to the drummer — although on some nights we've talked about it." 

Along with "Go Away Little Girl," Lawrence also had hits including "Pretty Blue Eyes" and "I've Gotta Be Me." 

Eydie Gormé and Steve Lawrence sing together in Atlantic City in 2001.  (Donald Kravitz/Getty Images)

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The couple also won a Grammy for their 1960 album "We Got Us." 

In the '80s, they played several sold-out shows at Carnegie Hall.

Lawrence also was an actor who appeared on TV shows like "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Gilmore Girls," "Diagnosis: Murder," "The Nanny," "Police Story" and in such movies as "The Blues Brothers" and "Blues Brothers 2000." 

Lawrence and Gormé continued to sing together until her retirement in 2009. She died in 2013 at the age of 84. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.