If you just wanna read the death part, scroll down to the bold text.



[image=http://www.sonic.net/~goblin/Tiny.jpg]



I dunno if anyone has heard this story, but I read a really detailed account by his widow detailing the events, and it was pretty devastating.



For those who don't know, Tiny Tim was popular in the 60's for playing the Ukulele and singing in a very high-pitched Falsetto voice. He was extremely eccentric and brought a twisted character into the world. His claim to fame was his song "Tiptoe Through The Tulips", which he adapted from a version of it performed in the 20's. Tim himself resembled a combination of Marilyn Manson and Weird Al Yankovic, almost scary, but compelling.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skU-jBFzXl0



This wasn't his actual personality or voice, just part of the Tiny Tim character. You can see that he can actually sing very deeply and well in this video:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl5F2A1Xi-A&feature=related



So anyway, Tim continued to perform for thirty or so more years, known for his respectful personality, kind attitude, and overall sense of professionalism. He wasn't extremely famous by the end of his run, but he continued to travel the country and entertain. However, he fell into bad health after many years of weight gain and heart problems, and developed congestive heart failure. In September '96, he collapsed onstage at the Ukulele Hall of Fame and hit his head on the floor 2 feet below the stage, injuring him severely.



[image=http://www.johnnypineapple.com/images/tiny-large.jpg]



While he was recovering, he canceled a show at a restaurant/dinner theater due to his health, but the same place offered him and his wife a complimentary dinner. Even if he didn't perform, they wanted to have him there. Upon hearing this, he accepted and grabbed his Uke on the way out the door. This show was very successful and he seemed to be on the way back to performing at 100%.



After this show, Tiny scheduled a gig at the Women's Club of Minneapolis. The day of the show, he felt very ill and dizzy, and nearly collapsed throughout the day. He didn't want to disappoint his fans, though, so he still wanted to do the show. He could barely make it up the stairs leading into the building.



The rest of this story is best summed up here:



[blockquote]Tim almost fell coming up the marble staircase and Miss Sue tried to support him. Miss Sue asked him how he was feeling and Tiny told her he wasn’t taking his medicine (he had a habit of this). There was a lovely dinner, but Tiny didn't eat much. After the meal, Tiny was introduced to the bandleader, and was given a very cold reception. The bandleader didn’t know Tim was to perform that night. He refused to have his band back Tiny on stage saying the band didn’t know the songs. Tiny asked, "You don’t know I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover?" Tim was told he would have to play without accompaniment. Tim would be called to perform at 9:00 PM. 9:00 arrived, then 9:30 and 10:00 went by and he still hadn't been called to perform. Sue wanted to get her stepmother and tell her that Tiny was going home, because he was exhausted and didn't feel well. Sue’s stepmother went to find the lady in charge. The bandleader called a break without introducing Tiny. It was a terrible insult to him. A guest vocalist should always be introduced at the end of a set, when the crowd is warmed up. The crowd had filtered out of the room leaving on a few people. This was a deliberate insult by the bandleader. The lady who ran the affair went up to the microphone and introduced Tiny to an empty room. Tiny got up and stood at the microphone. The cords were tangled around his feet and his ukulele was out of tune.



Tim was sick but didn’t want to disappoint the guests. People were applauding him. Sue went to take his arm because of the uneven footing and because she could see him shaking. He waved and blew kisses to the audience, something Tim always did at the end of every show. Sue took Tim’s arm and asked if he was all right. He just stood there and said, "No, I’m not." Those were the last words he ever spoke. Tim collapsed on the stage. A doctor started CPR. The ambulance was there in a matter of minutes. They worked on him for half-hour, there on the floor. The EMT’s told Miss Sue that Tim would probably not make it, but Sue already knew that. They worked on Tim for another hour and fifteen minutes at the Hennepin County Medical Center before they gave up. Miss Sue was with him when he died. He was 64 years old.[/blockquote]



According to many sources, was playing "Tiptoe Through The Tulips" when he died, which makes this story really creepy.



Here are two pictures taken of him literally right before he died:

[image=http://tinytim.org/photo/images/tt-final-performance1.jpg] [image=http://tinytim.org/photo/images/tt-final-performance2.jpg]



And here he is, buried with his Ukulele and a single Tulip.

http://www.findadeath.com/Deceased/t/tiny_tim/Tiny%20Tim/tiny%20in%20casket.JPG





But yeah... =( The whole situation with the band leader, and him playing to barely anyone at all, it's like a sad display of how quickly people forget about your past. The man got married on the Tonight Show with Carson to 12 million people watching, then he dies while playing a small set for the few people who didn't leave.