Entertainment

Marty Roberts, Half of Crowd-Pleasing LA Lounge Act ‘Marty & Elayne,' Dies at 89

Marty & Elayne were a must-see Los Angeles experience at the Dresden Room in Los Feliz, where they played regularly for almost 40 years and serenaded some of Hollywood's biggest stars.

Marty and Elayne Roberts perform in the Dresden Room in the Los Feliz area.
Getty

Marty and Elayne Roberts perform in the Dresden Room in the Los Feliz area.

Marty Roberts, half of the legendary Los Angeles lounge duo Marty & Elayne, has died from cancer at age 89.

His death was reported on Marty & Elayne's Facebook page on Tuesday. He died at his daughter Hali Gillin's home in Nevada, according to the post. 

“My mom and I are devastated by his loss and there is nobody that could ever take his place,'' Gillin wrote. "He had a joke and a smile (smiling is free, he would say!) for everyone he met and was the kindest, most self sacrificing man in the world.''

The message also indicated a celebration of his life is being planned for the Dresden Room.

Marty & Elayne were a must-see Los Angeles experience at the Dresden Room in Los Feliz, where they played regularly for almost 40 years. The crowd-pleasing duo serenaded some of the most famous people in Hollywood, including Frank Sinatra and Nicolas Cage, and made an appearance in the 1996 film "Swingers'' starring Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau.

Roberts and his wife played at the Dresden Room six nights a week, with Marty on drums and bass and Elayne on piano and flute.

Local

Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.

Everything you need to know about the Dodgers Opening Week at Chavez Ravine

California's commercial Dungeness crab season will end April 8 to protect whales

Roberts was born on April 10, 1932, in New York City. He met his wife in Los Angeles in 1970, when Elayne was 16 years old. They married four months later and started playing in a combo at the Melody Room on the Sunset Strip, the Los Angeles Times reported. They recorded with L.A. jazz musicians Jack Sheldon, Med Flory, Red Callender and Conte Candoli. They played at venues in Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas and Palm Springs.

Roberts is survived by his wife, daughter and granddaughter, Destiny.

Exit mobile version