As with the city itself, things have not been easy for "Mr Las Vegas" of late. Money problems, a failing voice, family crisis, union disputes, legal battles, early elimination from "Dancing with the Stars"... The list goes on. For anyone who hasn't been following the news over the past year or so, here's a recap.
Back in September of 2009, we confirmed the long-circulating rumor that Wayne Newton would be returning to the Las Vegas Strip and celebrating his 50th year performing in Sin City with a residency at the Tropicana. Newton's vocal problems had already been an issue for many years, and the somewhat morbidly titled Once Before I Go debuted October 14 to distinctly mixed reviews.
An ongoing dispute with the Las Vegas chapter of the Musicians Union landed the Wayner on their "Unfair Musician" list and prompted them to post some pretty sad audio clips from his shows on a website. Still, even if his voice has seen better days, those reviews we read recognized how Newton was still one of Las Vegas' last great entertainers.
Money-wise, having bounced back from one bankruptcy in 1999, Wayne Newton does apparently have renewed financial woes. Parallel to the new show opening came a bizarre story about his private jet. In January of this year, Oakland County International Airport sued him for over $60,000 in unpaid parking fees and revealed that the Fokker F28, which was once worth over $2 million, was rotting, full of black mold, and only good for scrap. It was eventually retrieved from the airport and the last we heard was parked on Wayne's lawn in Las Vegas.
It was next reported on February 23 that Newton was being sued by former friend and Speedway Motorsports chairman and CEO Bruton Smith, over a three-year-old $3.35 million loan that the Strip performer had apparently failed to repay. The loan was secured by Newton's 38-acre Las Vegas residence, the Casa de Shenandoah (on Sunset at Pecos) ... and his private jet.
Two days later Clark County Sheriff's process servers were spotted at the ranch trying to serve the performer in connection with a case brought by his former pilot, Monty Ward, who in 2009 won a judgement for almost a half-million dollars in back wages. Security personnel present at the residence refused to accept service of the documents, however, and although rumors circulated that his home was at risk of foreclosure, nothing seems to have come of this and Newton and his wife are still residing at Casa de Shenandoah.
This brings us to the next headache in Newton's recent life, which revolves around his desire to offer guided tours of his home and 38-acre ranch, including his wildlife and car collections. He also hopes to shuttle in "Wayniacs" from the Strip to a Las Vegas-themed museum and movie theater planned for a 10-acre parcel across the street, purchased by his business partner. The proposal has been met by vocal resistance from the singer's neighbors, however, all of whom oppose the project and what they fear its impact will be on area traffic and house prices. Two hundred people turned out to attend a recent planning meeting and express their opposition to the project; Newton and his wife Kathleen were there to greet everyone personally and attempt to relieve their concerns, but to date hostility to the project among the neighbors remains.
However, there may not be much they can do to stop Wayne's dream, since the land earmarked for the museum is already zoned for business. The estate itself is a rural neighborhood preservation area, so tours would only require an easily obtained special-use permit issued by the county. The Clark County Commission is scheduled to hear the item on November 17.
On a more positive note, one of Mr Las Vegas' recent gigs was as one of the stars voicing popular video game Fallout: New Vegas. Newton's the voice of "Mr. New Vegas," a programmed DJ of the in-game radio station. We read that among his upcoming plans is a film called Numbah One, in which he portrays one of the FBI's 10 most-wanted criminals (he's in the top four), a project for which Joe Pesci, Paul Sorvino, and Tracy Morgan are also tabbed.
According to his official website, the Wayner performed a private concert in Las Vegas last month and he has a couple of gigs in Arizona in January, followed by a mini world tour.
As to your query about his daughter, in February it was reported that 33-year-old Erin Newton had been hospitalized in a critial condition when she suffered multiple organ failure likely due to the pregnancy-related illness HELLP syndrome. She was in the third trimester at the time and a baby boy was delivered by C-section when Erin went into a coma. Doctors at the time told her father that she likely would not recover, which not surprisingly devastated the singer, who canceled a string of his shows at the Tropicana to be at his daughter's bedside in St. Louis. However, after two weeks Erin miraculously emerged from the coma and asked for a glass of water. That's the last we were able to find out, but we're assuming, in this instance, that no news is good news.
