by Deputy Diva

Altovise Davis passed earlier this week after suffering a stroke. 

Davis was surrounded at the Los Angeles hospital by friends and family, including her son, Manny Davis.

Trained as an actor and dancer, Altovise Davis met the legendary showman in the mid-1960s, when they were both appearing in Broadway musicals, he in the lead of “Golden Boy” and she in the chorus line of “High Spirits.”

She successfully auditioned for a London stage production of “Golden Boy,” and after its run she joined his as a dancer.

They married at a Philadelphia courthouse in May 1970 and were together 20 years, adopting their son in 1989. Her husband died of throat cancer at age 64 on May 16, 1990, five days after their 20th wedding anniversary.

Altovise Davis had a difficult time after her husband’s death. He owed a reported $7 million in income tax, and to satisfy the Internal Revenue Service, his mansion on Summit Drive in Beverly Hills was sold. Jewelry, memorabilia and other personal items were auctioned.  SOURCE

Last year she sued two former business partners in federal court, claiming they tricked her into signing away the rights to the estate. The suit is pending.  SOURCE