Eddie Fisher, father of Carrie, Todd, Joely and Tricia Fisher and ex-husband of Debbie Reynolds, Elizabeth Tayor, Connie Stevens and Terry Richard, has died. Fisher, who was a superstar singer in his own right, is best known for his hit tunes that included, Oh! My Pa-pa, I’m Yours and Lady of Spain.

His daughter, Tricia Leigh Fisher, told The Associated Press that Fisher died Wednesday evening, September 22nd, of complications from hip surgery at a hospital in Berkeley, California.

The singer was a mainstay on television as well with his series Coke Time with Eddie Fisher (1953 to 1957) and The Eddie Fisher Show, which ran on NBC from 1957 to 1959. Fisher also made guest appearances on other variety programs including The Perry Como Show and The Gisele MacKenzie Show.

Fisher was the singing sensation of his day appealing to teen girls during the 1950s. His fame only skyrocketed after his marriage to actress Debbie Reynolds – the two becoming America’s Favorite Couple. The union produced two children, Carrie Fisher and Todd Fisher.

That was, however, until the death of his friend, producer Mike Todd to a plane crash in 1958. Todd was married to actress Elizabeth Taylor at the time. Fisher began consoling Taylor – then quickly filed for divorce from Reynolds and married Taylor in 1959, making scandalous headlines. NBC cancelled his series as a result of his unfavorable publicity.

He made news again with his two autobiographies, Eddie, My Life, My Loves in 1981 and Been There, Done That in 1999 where he was less than kind to Reynolds says she “was indeed the girl next door. But only if you lived next door to a self-centered, totally driven, insecure, untruthful phony.”

Elizabeth Taylor, who also took hits in the books, came to Reynolds defense and later the two actresses poked fun at Fisher in the 2001 TV movie, These Old Broads.

He never did regain the momentum of his career after the negative publicity, but married actress Connie Stevens, which again ended in divorce but produced two daughters, Joely Fisher and Tricia Fisher.

Then there were the drugs and the gambling, which took a toll on his financial security.

He did outlive his fifth and final wife of eight years, Betty Lin, who died in 2001.

Eddie Fisher was 82 years old.

Click onto video for a classic moment from Fisher’s television series Coke Time with Eddie Fisher