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Mona Shield Payne/Special to the Sun
Jerry Lewis sheds tears during his closing song of the 45th Annual Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon on Sept. 6, 2010, at the South Point.
Monday, May 16, 2011 | 2:55 p.m.
Sun Archives
After 45 years, Jerry Lewis is retiring as host of the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Labor Day telethon.
The 85-year-old comedian and Las Vegas resident issued a statement Monday through the Tucson, Ariz.-based Muscular Dystrophy Association calling it time for a "new telethon era."
He says he'll make his final appearance on the six-hour primetime telethon Sept. 4 by performing his song "You'll Never Walk Alone."
Lewis says he'll continue as the association's national chairman, a role he's held since the early 1950s.
Lewis' first Labor Day weekend telethon in 1966 was broadcast by a single New York City television station and raised more than $1 million.
Last year's Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon raised almost $59 million to fund research to find a cure for muscular dystrophy and ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease.
This has been brewing for some time. Obviously MDA forced him out.
It won't be the same!!!!!
... COVERED thee TELETHON for "Billboard Magazine" & "The Valley Times" at-the-SAHARA ('75-'79) GOOD-TIMES!!!
I'm sure going to miss him. I hope Ryan Seacrest doesn't take over for him like he does everything else. On an unrelated topic, I wish the Sun would add a like button and a reply button for comments as sometimes commenters statements stand out and I would like to address them, such as the laugh I got from dipsticks comment.
The man had dedicated all these years to help make a difference and to represent.... he's 85 and there are major factors for retiring from this.
God Bless you Jerry.
I wouldn't mind if LasVegasSun could share the historic years of Jerry Lewis. He has been Great Man of making the difference.
Thanks Jerry.... You have been good to Vegas.
I just wanted to try and get the word out. I just created a Facebook page called 'We Want Jerry Lewis to Host the MDA Telethon. Please go there and start the 'likes' to show support for Jerry, and possibly be able to change the course of things.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/We-Want...