Solo Work
Along with the fame, Orlando had personal battles in the 1970s. He was briefly addicted to cocaine, and battled both obesity and depression. In 1977, due to the death of his sister, and the suicide of Orlando's close friend comedian Freddie Prinze, Orlando had a breakdown, and retired from singing. He was briefly institutionalized, but returned triumphantly to television with an NBC comeback special. From then, he continued as a solo artist. In the 1980s, he was a dominant force in Las Vegas, headlining various hotels with sold-out audiences.
In 1993 he opened the Tony Orlando Yellow Ribbon Music Theatre in Branson, Missouri. Branson played home to the live shows of such stars as Andy Williams, Bobby Vinton, Wayne Newton, Mel Tillis, Glen Campbell, Roy Clark and Ray Stevens. In 1997 Orlando began sharing a theatre with singer Wayne Newton. The partnership ended badly in 1999 when Newton was caught taping Orlando's conversations in the theatre. Orlando sued Newton, and Newton sued Orlando, and the lawsuits were eventually dropped. But the lifelong friends severed their relationship and the two haven't spoken since.
When the deal with Newton ended and the Branson theatre closed its doors, Orlando began successfully touring the country in sold-out concerts, which he does to this day.
Orlando appeared in That's My Boy, a Happy Madison production starring Adam Sandler.
Read more about this topic: Tony Orlando
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