Kay Kyser - Later Life

Later Life

Kyser converted to the Church of Christ, Scientist sometime between 1944 and 1946, despite the fact his mother had been the first female pharmacist in his home county. Nevertheless, he had become interested in Christian Science when conventional medicine did not relieve his problems with arthritis. It was this arthritis which is often cited as one of the reasons Kyser retired from performing in 1950. In the early 1960s, several members of the Kay Kyser team (including Kabibble and Simms but not Kyser) reunited to record an album of new versions of Kyser’s greatest hits.

In the 1970s, Kay ran the film and television department of the Christian Science Church in Boston. He was a Christian Science practitioner, teacher, and lecturer. In 1983 he was made President of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston, a one-year position. He referred to it as "honorary," joking “I haven’t been elected Pope or anything...”

Kyser and Georgia Carroll remained married until his death. They had three children. He died in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Kyser was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 1999.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is custodian of a large archive of documents and material about Kyser which was donated by his widow and made available to the public on April 8, 2008.