Song & dance at 75 LIZA'S CABARET CELEBRATION

A TRUE SURVIVOR, SHE’S CHEATED DEATH ON MANY OCCASIONS

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It was a birthday many thought she’d never see. Liza Minnelli – whose rollercoaster self-destructive streak and health woes have repeatedly brought her close to death – turned 75 last week.

Just five years ago, one US newspaper even declared the Hollywood icon had only three months left to live, after yet another relapse saw her checking once again into rehab.

Instead, the Cabaret star bounced back and on March 12 she marked her three-quarters-of-a-century milestone with a socially-distanced virtual concert, with performances, odes and well-wishes by the likes of Barbra Streisand, Joan Collins, Lily Tomlin, Harry Connick Jr, Whoopi Goldberg and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

It was a loving tribute to a star who was born into Hollywood royalty and who, in addition to inheriting her mother’s looks, talents and charisma, also inherited many of her demons.

Born in 1946 to screen legend Judy Garland and stage director Vincente Minnelli, it was no surprise that Liza was drawn to the limelight.

She grew up on the MGM studio lot in Hollywood, which she describes as “a fantastic playground. I knew every inch of it, all the underground passages to the sound stages. Terrific! And Daddy would let me ride on the camera boom with him.”