Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer.
Brenda Lee, the daughter of Reuben Lindsey Tarpley and Annie Grace, grew up in a very impoverished household with her two siblings.
Since she was five years old, Lee has drawn more attention due to her voice, appearance, and stage presence.
She took first place in a local singing competition sponsored by the elementary schools in her community when she was six years old.
The prize was a live performance on Starmakers Revue, an Atlanta radio program, where she appeared for the following year.
She performed pop, country, and rockabilly music, and in the 1960s, she had 47 US chart hits. Moreover, Lee was ranked fourth in that decade, behind only Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Ray Charles.
She is well-known for the 1958 single “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” which has become a Christmas classic, and the 1960 hit song “I am Sorry.”
Inducted into the Rock and Roll and Country Music Halls of Fame simultaneously, Lee is the first female inductee. Is Brenda still alive in 2023? Read this post to find out the answer.
The rise to fame of American vocalist Brenda Lee
Lee was well-liked in the UK early in her career. Her breakthrough single, “I am Sorry,” became her first gold single when it was released in 1960 and reached the top of the Billboard Pop chart.
Her final top-10 pop single was “Losing You,” which came out in 1963. Despite this, she kept having hits on the charts, including “Coming On Strong” in 1966 and “Is It True?” in 1964.
Early in the 1970s, Lee returned to the scene as a country music performer, hitting multiple Top 10 hits.
Surprisingly, her best-selling single to date is the Christmas song “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”
Although it was published in 1958, fewer than 5,000 copies were sold. Nevertheless, it eventually sold over five million copies, and it remains a radio staple every December.
Is Brenda Lee still alive?
Yes, the singing queen is still alive and she is fine. News of singer Brenda Lee’s death spread quickly earlier this week, causing concern among fans across the world.
However, the November 2023 report—the latest in a long line of unverified claims of celebrity deaths—has now been proven to be a complete fabrication. Fortunately, the singer who became popular with the song “I am Sorry” is still alive and well.
Speculation about Brenda’s alleged death began to circulate on Thursday. Readers of the “About” page were given the following reliable account of the American singer’s passing:
Hundreds of fans posted condolence messages on the Facebook page as soon as they learned of the talented 78-year-old singer’s passing. As usual, the death hoax sent people into a frenzy on Twitter.
Some fans, perhaps having learned their lesson from the numerous celebrity fake death reports that have surfaced in recent months, ignored the post straight away, while some credulous fans took it at face value.
Given that the passing of a well-known singer like Brenda Lee would likely make headlines across many networks, some pointed out that the news had not been broadcast on any major American network, suggesting that it was a false report.
On Friday (December 01) the singer’s representatives officially confirmed that Brenda Lee is not dead.
She now adds her name to the long list of famous people who have fallen for this scam. “Do not believe anything you see online; she is still alive and well,” they declared.
A few fans have taken to social media to vent their fury over the false report, claiming it was careless, upsetting and damaging to the adored singer’s followers. Some argue that this proves how well-liked she is throughout the world.
