Speaking in 2015, the 85-year-old detailed some more information about the procedure, saying it fixed a “weak spot.” Assured by medics that it would not affect her ability to sing, she agreed to have the surgery, which took place in New York City. However, when she awoke the voice that millions of fans had grown to know and love had changed forever.
In an interview in 1988 her husband late Blake Edwards said: “I don’t think she’ll sing again. It’s an absolute tragedy.” The singer’s crystal clear impressive voice was reduced to a rasp and the future of her career was put in jeopardy.
In 2019, the star looked back on the experience and said: “I went into a depression. It felt like I’d lost my identity.” The effects on Dame Andrews was so severe that in 1999 she filed a lawsuit against her doctors and the hospital where the procedure took place.
She claimed that doctors had not explained the risks of the surgery and the results had “ruined her ability to sing and precluded her from practicing her profession as a musical performer.” In 2000, a confirmed settlement was reached between the two parties, but this did not replace the singing voice that Dame Andrews once had.
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