George Constaine COLOVAS

George Colovas b. 1935

      1. George Constaine COLOVAS ¹  was born²  on 19 Nov 1935 in Highland Park, Wayne, Michigan. He died³  on 27 Jan 2007 in Livonia, Wayne, Michigan.  The cause of death was heart attack.

George was cremated⁴  in Livonia, Wayne, Michigan. He was issued SSN 376-32-2727⁵   in 1951 at Michigan.

January 29, 2007

OBIT

January 27, 2007. Age 71. Loving husband and greatest life partner of Ilene Sue Haskin-

Colovas. Father of Shannon (Gary) Marks, Tracey (Mark) Law, Jared (Jordan) Colovas and

Barak Colovas. Papou of Mesa, Barak, Dominic, Matthew and Jeremy Pv2. Brother of William

(Betty), Anthone (Athena-Deceased) and Denny (JoAnne). Former husband of Linda Martin

Colovas. Owner of Metro Detroit's famous "Jamie's Nightclubs" Private Funeral Services were

held by Howe-Peterson Funeral Home, 313 561-1500.

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Santiago Esparza / The Detroit News

Detroit area musician, bar owner dies

Musician and bar owner George Colovas, better known as Jamie Coe, died about 3 a.m.

today on Newburgh Road in Livonia following a performance  at his Garden City nightclub.

Colovas, 71, performed three times a week at his Jamie's Club, said his business partner

Dennis Gibson. Colovas was in Livonia about 4 a.m.  Saturday and on his way to his home on

the Plymouth/Northville border when he suffered a suspected heart attack and his car

swerved onto a  lawn on Newburgh Road, Gibson said.

Livonia Police said preliminary reports indicate that Colovas suffered a heart attack.

Colovas' wife was following him home at the time, Gibson said.

"She saw the car swerve and run off the road and onto a lawn," he said.

Colovas was never a superstar, but still had a big following. His song "The Fool" was a hit in

the early 1960s and he appeared on American  Bandstand several times. At one point, Bobby

Darin signed Colovas, who had performed as Jamie Coe and the Gigolos, to a management

deal.

Colovas owned Jamie's on Ford road in Garden City.

Survivors include his wife and a son. (note - this part of the New report is not correct)

Funeral arrangements are pending.

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

BY KORIE WILKINS

Longtime singer, club owner dies

January 27, 2007

To his family, he was always George Colovas. But to rock music lovers, he was Jamie Coe.

Mr. Colovas, 71, of Plymouth, died Saturday morning in Livonia after he had a heart attack

while driving home from his nightclub, Jamie’s, in  Garden City, said his brother, Tony Colovas.

He had performed earlier that night but wasn’t feeling well, family members said.

Livonia police officials declined to comment Saturday.

“He was a great, great man,” said Sue Colovas, his wife.

According to Tony Colovas, of Parma, Ohio, Mr. Colovas loved to sing and perform. Born and

raised in Highland Park, he was also an  outstanding basketball player who played at Wayne

State University for two years.

He never graduated, though, Tony Colovas said. “He went into music instead,” he said.

Mr. Colovas sang with a few bands in the Detroit area, catching the eye of Bobby Darin in the

late 1950s. Darin signed Mr. Colovas to his  record label and renamed him Jamie Coe. Coe

also got a band, the Gigolos.

“After that, his career blossomed,” Tony Colovas said.

Mr. Colovas appeared a few times on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand and had a couple of

hits.

A fixture on Detroit’s budding rock scene in the early 1960s, Jamie Coe & the Gigolos were a

sharp-dressed band with a tightly choreographed  show. Performing at area teen clubs and

nightspots such as Dearborn’s Club Gay Haven, Coe and his band played their own regional

hits like  “The Fool” and “Black & Blue” among slick cover versions of rock ’n’ roll standards.

David Les, 55, of Lake Orion, played bass with the Gigolos in the 1970s. He said Mr. Colovas

didn’t have a mean bone in his body and had a  great voice.

“He had a passion for music,” Les said. “We had a pretty large following at the time and

George loved it. He loved what he did.”

In addition to his musical and athletic talent, Tony Colovas said his brother was a giving family

man who didn’t hesitate to help out  strangers who were down on their luck.

Mr. Colovas is survived by his wife, four children and two grandchildren. Funeral

arrangements are still pending, but family members say they  expect services to be private.

Copyright © 2006 Detroit Free Press Inc.

George married (1) Lynda Gail MARTIN  daughter of Harlan Isaac MARTIN and Inez Edna THIELL on 28 Dec 1957. The marriage ended in divorce.Lynda was born on 28 Jun 1938 in Dearborn, Wayne, Michigan.

George married (2) Ilene Susan HASKIN .

Appendix A  -  Sources

  1. Anthone Colovas, Anthone Colovas - Personal Recollections  (Anthone C. Colovas ).

  2. Find A Grave  (http://www.findagrave.com/).

  3. Find A Grave .

  4. Compiled by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, U.S. Social Security Death Index  (Compiled by: Family History Library; FamilySearch; (http://familysearch.org)), Family History Library, 35 N West Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84150  USA.

  5. Compiled by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, U.S. Social Security Death Index .