Grandma Lee Explained

Grandma Lee
Birth Name:Frances Lee Myers
Birth Date:29 May 1934
Birth Place:Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Death Place:Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Medium:Stand-up comedy
Active:1997 - 2020
Children:4
Alma Mater:Otterbein University

Frances Lee Strong[1] (Myers; May 29, 1934[2]  – April 24, 2020), better known by her stage name Grandma Lee, was an American stand-up comedian who was a talent show contestant on America's Got Talent in 2009. She began performing when she was in her 60s and became known for her off-color humor.[3]

Early life

Frances Lee Myers was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma,[4] [5] [6] and grew up in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, where her father was a college dean. After he died when she was 12, the family fell apart, and she eventually landed in a children's home in Kentucky.[7] In 1956, she graduated with a degree in English education from Otterbein University in Ohio.[8] [9]

Career

After college in 1958, Myers married a career U.S. Marine, Ben Strong.[8] The couple moved around the world as he fulfilled his military duties, raising four children. She taught for a semester before realizing the profession was not for her.[4] While living in Cleveland in the late 1950s, she worked as a newspaper reporter at the Cleveland Press.[6] [9]

Lee Strong and her husband were living in Homestead, Florida, in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew destroyed their home. They moved to Jacksonville, where Ben died of cancer in 1995. They had been married for 37 years. Strong later took a buyout from BellSouth, where she was working as a phone operator.[10]

Strong began doing stand-up comedy in 1997,[9] performing at open mic nights at The Comedy Zone in Jacksonville.[11] In Tampa in 2004, she reached the final rounds of auditions for Last Comic Standing.[12] [13]

In 2009, Strong rose to prominence as a contestant on the fourth season of the reality series America's Got Talent, when she advanced to the final round.[14] [15] She amused audiences with her distinctive raunchy Southern humor. She also flirted with judges Piers Morgan and David Hasselhoff.[15] One of ten finalists, Strong was not selected for the final five during the two-hour finale.[16] She told People, "[My] material is based on the truth. I go up there and wing it… but I had to clean it up for the show. I won’t say a cuss word or anything to jeopardize [myself]. I can do clean or edgy."[17]

Death

Strong died at age 85 on April 24, 2020, at an assisted living facility in Jacksonville.[18] [19]

Notes and References

    • News: Senior Moments. June 3, 2010. Tampa Bay Times. April 25, 2020. Potty-mouthed Frances Lee Strong made a name for herself on America's Got Talent last year zinging raunchy jokes about judge Piers Morgan and has since done standup comedy around the nation..
    • Web site: Obituary for Kevin Ray Strong at Teahen Funeral Home. www.teahenfuneralhome.com. April 25, 2020.
  2. Web site: Katsilometes. John. May 4, 2010. Closing in on 76, Grandma Lee is speaking the universal language. Las Vegas Sun. April 21, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20180321193122/https://m.lasvegassun.com/vegasdeluxe/2010/may/04/closing-76-grandma-lee-speaking-universal-language/. March 21, 2018.
  3. News: Nunez. Mike. Like the reality show, Grandma Lee's 'Got Talent'. November 16, 2016. Florida Today. April 25, 2020.
  4. News: Kennedy. Patti. Frances Lee Myers Strong '56 comes to the comedy spotlight late in life. Winter 1998. Towers. Office of College Relation of Otterbein College. 10–11. April 26, 2020.
  5. Web site: Grandma Lee. NBC.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20090908151620/http://www.nbc.com/americas-got-talent/contestants/finalists/grandma-lee.shtml. September 8, 2009.
  6. News: Silverman. Sandy. It is Never Too Late to Live Your Dream!. May 10, 2010. VegasNewsChannel.com. April 25, 2020.
  7. News: Sickler. Linda. Forget baking cookies or watching the kids, Grandma Lee is here to make you laugh. October 1, 2015. Savannah Morning News. April 25, 2020.
  8. News: Harrington. Jeana. This Grandma's Wit and Verve has taken her to the Big Time. Fall 2009. Towers. Office of Marketing & Communications of Otterbein College. 27. April 26, 2020.
  9. News: Maile. Kelly. Grandma Lee to bring the humor. July 2, 2015. Kent Record-Courier. April 25, 2020.
  10. Web site: Bull. Roger. September 1, 2009. Jacksonville's Grandma Lee shows she's 'Got Talent' — tonight on NBC. The Florida Times-Union. April 25, 2020.
  11. News: Crumpler. David. Jacksonville comedian Grandma Lee to perform at The Comedy Zone. November 20, 2012. The Florida Times-Union. April 25, 2020.
  12. News: Princess Superstar, The Audition, Jay Anthony and more. December 15, 2005. Orlando Weekly. April 25, 2020.
  13. News: Belcher. Walter. Comics Wait Hours For Shot at 15 Minutes. The Tampa Tribune. METRO-6. April 25, 2020. Newspapers.com.
  14. News: Harris. Vincent. At 83, Grandma Lee Keeps Her Comedy Sharp. March 7, 2018. Free Times. April 25, 2020.
  15. News: Davis. Dillon. 'America's Got Talent' finalist Grandma Lee draws hearty laughs during Muskegon performance. March 30, 2015. MLive.com. April 25, 2020.
  16. News: Bull. Roger. Grandma Lee loses on 'America's Got Talent'. September 17, 2009. The Florida Times-Union. April 25, 2020.
  17. Web site: Will comedian Grandma Lee win America's Got Talent?. Punchline. September 3, 2009. August 14, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100125092533/http://punchlinemagazine.com/blog/2009/09/will-comedian-grandma-lee-win-americas-got-talent#. January 25, 2010. dead.
  18. Web site: 'AGT' Star and Comedian Grandma Lee Dead at 85. April 24, 2020. TMZ. April 25, 2020.
  19. News: Mier. Tomas. America's Got Talent Finalist Grandma Lee Dies at 85: 'Heaven Just Got a Whole Lot Funnier'. April 24, 2020. People. April 25, 2020.

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