One of the sweetest, yet sad, love stories has made many teary-eyed following the passing of Patricia, crooner Engelbert Humperdinck’s wife, last Friday.
It’s a touching bond of childhood sweethearts that spanned 70 years – more proof that true love does exist; their lives turned upside down by diseases; joy and tears.
Humperdinck’s Malaysian friend, businessman Syed Mohd Yusof Syed Nasir, describes it as “love that could melt even the coldest of hearts.”
Syed Yusof told FMT that Humperdinck had in e-mails to him related how unbearable it would be to lose his wife with whom he had the best moments in his life.
“His wife was everything to him and their story should inspire couples to be together no matter what love and life inevitably bring.
“Their love story grips the heart and will cause one to ponder the deeper questions couples face in life,” he said.
Syed Yusof developed a close friendship with the singer in November 2019 when his company, Jojo Events, staged Humperdinck’s concert in Melaka to celebrate the 81st birthday of then governor Mohd Khalil Yaakob.
He said Humperdinck, 84, had spoken about bringing Patricia for a second concert in Kuala Lumpur this year, now postponed due to Covid-19.
Patricia Healey Dorsey died with Alzheimer’s disease and coronavirus, aged 84, after she was left unable to eat or drink because of the damage caused by the virus.
She had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for 10 years and in 2019, Humperdinck gushed with joy after she referred to him by his name for the first time in three years.
Humperdinck’s Malaysian fans were also all watery-eyed twice over the past few days. First, when he begged fans for their prayers in a devastating Facebook video 48 hours before Patricia’s death, saying:
“Covid entered our home and it’s pretty destructive. It got to many members of my family including myself and my darling wife, and of course it’s been very heartbreaking because having her condition, it has made it rather impossible for medical staff.”
Shortly after her passing, YouTuber, ‘Susan 8’, posted a weepie video titled, ‘A Tribute to a Lady’, with pictures of the life and times of the Dorseys to the poignant song ‘Goodbye’ by Kenny Rogers.
‘Goodbye’ written by Lionel Richie deals with losing a loved one. In the current context, it takes on a deeper meaning through such lyrics as “There’s peace in where you are, may be all I need to know/ And if I listen to my heart I’ll hear your laughter once more.”
For even more proof that true love does exist, many people shared their own love stories, or those of their parents and grandparents in Facebook groups dedicated to Humperdinck, with some posting videos of his songs like ‘When There’s No You; and ‘Too Beautiful To Last’.
When Humperdinck and Patricia first found each other at a dance hall as 17-year-olds in 1953, it was love at first sight and they spent every moment they could together.
Humperdinck’s early indulgence in the excesses of showbiz while away from home aside, Patricia was by his side when he got tuberculosis in 1961 and was hospitalised with the disease.
It was that brush with death that persuaded Humperdinck to change his name from Arnold George Dorsey, and in 1964 he and Patricia tied the knot.
Around 2007, it was Humperdinck’s turn to take care of Patricia when she was struck by Alzheimer’s. He sought alternative therapies in a frantic bid to keep her memories intact.
Sadly, months after the coronavirus pandemic hit the globe, the Humperdinck family was knocked down by Covid-19.
Just as his last album, ‘The Man I Want to Be’ was an emotional love letter to his wife that reminisced about the history between them, Humperdinck’s send-off words to his beloved wife was equally heartrending:
“We love you beyond words, forever and always. It is slipping now into the minutes of a full day without you. Goodnight my baby.”