Steve Allen, legendary American entertainer, died in his California home at the age of 78 on October 30th, 2000. Steve Allen was born December 26th, 1921 in New York City to parents Billy and Isabelle Allen, and was raised in nearby Jersey City, NJ. He attended Drake University, where he studied journalism, and the Potsdam Conservatory of Music, where he studied music composition. Starting his career as a jazz pianist in 1940, he quickly rose to fame and was heard weekly on his own NBC Radio show. He went on to be a broadcast pioneer, hosting talk and variety TV shows including Your Show of Shows, The Tonight Show, and The Steve Allen Show. He won numerous awards including four Emmy Awards and the Peabody Award for distinguished achievement in broadcasting. He was active with politics, social commentary and philanthropy, and published more than 50 books throughout his life. His works include topics such as philosophy, science, music, comedy and literature. Steve was preceded in death by his first wife Jayne Meadows and is survived by his second wife, Florence Ingram.