By Tim Saunders on
Comedian Jerry Lewis has passed the philanthropic flame to his son Gary, who wants to tour the Philippines with his band to raise money for people hit by storms last year.
Gary Lewis and the Playboys are a major drawcard in the country, and the devastating storms ripped through Manila just after the band’s last tour.
“Gary likes to get out there once every few years, but we’d really like to get back to the Philippines in 2010,” Lewis’ manager told WENN. "Gary Lewis and The Playboys are like The Beatles over there because they had a lot of local hits with Beatles tunes – because the Beatles were banned from the Philippines.
“I was asked to take extra special care of this one lady at a show in Manila last year – and it turned out she was Imelda Marcos. She was up dancing and having a really good time.”
Gary Lewis’ father, Jerry Lewis, helped establish the Muscular Dystrophy Association in 1952, and has organized and hosted a Labor Day Telethon every year since 1966. His fundraising efforts have raised over $2 billion for neuromuscular care and research, with last year’s telethon raising $61 million alone. He has also been involved with fundraising for The Salvation Army and the American Red Cross. He is the only media celebrity to have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 2007 he was voted as America’s most effective celebrity charity fundraiser.
Copyright © 2010 Look to the Stars
