Liza Minnelli and David Gest (Photo: Getty Images)
It has been confirmed that David Gest, Liza Minnelli’s ex-husband, passed away
in London on Tuesday at the age of 62. The TV and music producer turned
reality star most recently appeared on the United Kingdom’s Celebrity Big Brother
and was gearing up to tour the country with a new show. Although a
power player in the music industry, Gest’s name was always linked to
Minnelli, thanks to a whirlwind romance, insanely lavish wedding, and a
high-profile divorce that made tabloids drool.
The two began dating in June 2001, after getting
reintroduced through friends. “I could see that there was a little girl
who needed to be loved,” he recalled to People years
ago. “I fell for her right away.” Within 48 hours, the couple had said,
“I love you.” A week later, they were living together, and in December
Gest proposed with a 3.5-carat Tiffany diamond. That same month,
Minnelli — who struggled with addiction to alcohol and painkillers —
relapsed, but sought treatment to save herself and her relationship.
On March 16, 2002, they had the wedding to end all weddings.
Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson (Photo: Getty Images)
Around 850 guests were invited to watch Gest, who was 48 at the time, and Minnelli, then 56, tie the knot in New York City.
The 36-member bridal party consisted of two matrons of honor (Elizabeth Taylor and Minnelli’s Cabaret
co-star Marisa Berenson), two best men (Michael and Tito Jackson), 13
bridesmaids, 13 groomsmen, two ushers, two flower girls, and two flower
boys. Singer Mya was also a bridesmaid, and revealed that she had only
met Minnelli twice before the wedding! “Everyone was dressed in diamonds
and furs,” she told People. “It was incredible.”
Other famous faces in attendance included
Diana Ross, Donald Trump, Mia Farrow, Rosie O’Donnell, Martha Stewart,
Joy Behar, Anthony Hopkins, Kirk Douglas, Dionne Warwick, David
Hasselhoff, and Joan Collins, to name a few.
Although this was Minnelli’s fourth trip down the aisle, she told People
at the time that Gest was the one, saying he was “everything I ever
dreamed of in a man — his humor, his authority, his manliness.” The
couple exchanged vows in a nondenominational ceremony at Marble
Collegiate Church, but it was the kiss that had everyone talking. After
saying, “I do,” Minnelli apparently declared, “David, you don’t ever
have to live life without me,” while her new husband replied, “Can I
kiss you, then?”
“He sucked her lips right out of her face!” The View
co-host Joy Behar said afterwards. The smooch was even enough to make
Donald Trump blush: “I have been to many weddings, and I have never seen
a kiss like that before.” Not the wedding kiss, but a smooch nonetheless. (Photo: Getty Images)
After the nuptials, the party really got
started at the Regent Wall Street Hotel. There was a 60-piece orchestra,
54 entertainment acts (including Gloria Gaynor singing “I Will Survive”
and Andy Williams with “Our Love Is Here to Stay”), and a nine-tiered
cake adorned with real and candy roses. Michael Jackson gave the only
toast of the night, before a huge dance party erupted — with Carol
Channing in the middle of it all. The bash lasted until about 2 a.m.
The newlyweds then jetted off to London,
where they began their honeymoon before heading to Thailand. For the
next several months, they soaked up living in the limelight and appeared
happier than ever… until they weren’t. The couple separated 16 months
later, and their breakup quickly turned ugly. (Photo: Getty Images)
By the end of 2003, Gest had filed a $10
million lawsuit against Minnelli, claiming that she had repeatedly
physically abused him. Gest alleged to NBC her anger was fueled by alcoholism and jealousy that he was stealing her spotlight.
“She just kept hitting me in the head with
her fists, over, and over, and over. The pain was so enormous that I get
now 80 shots around the head to deaden the nerves,” he claimed. “I
don’t know if I’ll ever be the same.”
Gest reported that the first incident
occurred in December 2001, before Minnelli went to rehab, and started
again five months into their marriage, when she relapsed. He maintained
it happened until the “last one,” in June 2003, when Minnelli consumed a
bottle of vodka and beat him in their hotel room.
He continued, “She was saying everything, all
the things that she resented me for. That I used her to become a star.
That I was going to have a**. That I wanted to record an album. And have
a singing career… She’d hit before. But never over, and over, and over,
and over, and over into the head.“
Lawyers for Minnelli adamantly refuted the
allegations of abuse. She eventually fired back with her own $2 million
lawsuit, claiming Gest had stolen money from her.
Their court battles dragged on for years,
until they finally settled in January 2007. The terms were confidential,
but their divorce was final. That same year, Gest was admitted to a
hospital in London with chest pains and respiratory problems.
The cause of Gest’s death is not currently
known, and an autopsy is pending; however, police are reportedly
treating it as “non-suspicious”.
A representative for Minnelli told the New York Daily News that she has “no statement” on her ex-husband’s passing.
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