‘One of a kind’ Las Vegas lounge legend dies at 83
Cook E. Jarr lorded over the lounges of Las Vegas for decades. But the woman who would become his wife said even the clubs on the Strip could not contain his energy.
“He played the Oasis at the Dunes, and used to take his cordless mic and go out into the Strip, and be singing to people who were stopped at the corner. The speakers were set up so you could hear him everywhere,” Jarr’s widow, Stacy Pettine, said Wednesday morning. “They’d have their windows down, waiting for the light to change, and he’d be singing.”
When finished on the Strip, Jarr would hustle back to the casino.
”He’d sing to women as they were walking to the bathroom,” Pettine said. “He would stand and sing on the bars. He was just crazy.”
The iconic Vegas showman died at about 2 p.m. Thursday of complications from pneumonia, Pettine confirmed Wednesday morning. The man born Anthony Pettine was 83. His widow said there are no plans for a public tribute.
Jarr had suffered several physical maladies and illnesses in recent years, including back surgery in 2019, from which he never fully recovered.
His final shows were in the fall of 2019 at Napoleon’s at Paris Las Vegas. His last public appearance was at Tom Jones’ performance at Encore Theater on Sept. 28. The two had been friends for more than 40 years.
“Cook E. was one of a kind,” Pettine said. “Everybody loved him.”
The showman was honored by the Las Vegas Walk of Stars in April 2022, after a lengthy fundraising campaign by ardent fan Mark Block. The “ceremony” amounted to the star being placed overnight, with the recipient unable to attend.
Jarr’s signature call was his “Woof, woof!” bark and shouts to the crowd. He’d ask fans, “Who’s better than Elvis? Nobody!’ Then a swing through “Viva Las Vegas.”
That song was a crowd favorite, and so was Jarr, a Las Vegas institution at small-capacity haunts from the 1980s through mid 2010s. Originally from Philadelphia, his first appearance was at Nero’s Nook at Caesars Palace in 1970. He moved to the city in June 1982, opening at the Sands with his backing band, The Krums.
The act went on to headline at such famous Vegas hotels as the El Rancho (after it was re-branded from the Thunderbird), Dunes, Tropicana, Bally’s, MGM Grand, Silver Slipper, Continental, Maxim and Caesars Palace. In 1997 Jarr dropped the band (a keyboard player and guitarist), to fly solo.
“The Dunes was fun, because they had the Comedy Store there and all the comedians would hang out,” Pettine said. “At the Silver Slipper, he didn’t go on until like 1 o’clock in the morning until about 5:30.”
Jarr was the rare headliner in the Tap House banquet room on West Charleston Boulevard. Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, the Righteous Brothers and Jones found the Jarr performing with his beat box, strobes and smoke machine.
“The Tap House was a lot of fun,” Pettine said. “Jimmy Fallon used to come in and see him before he got his ‘Tonight Show’ gig, when he was on ‘Saturday Night Live,’ and always had a great time.”
Jarr headlined for several years at Carnaval Court, the outdoor stage at between Harrah’s and Linq Hotel. Jarr then moved inside to the Piano Bar at Harrah’s, where he announced his “retirement” in 2014.
But the singer returned to Napoleon’s at Paris Las Vegas in 2016, holding down the 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Monday slot until COVID wiped out the gig, effectively ending the lounge legend’s career.
Jarr was famous for his deep-brown tan; his mod, dark hairstyle; and dark shades. Post-Krums, he performed with a beat box and mic, sampling such numbers as “You Are So Beautiful” by Joe Cocker, “You May Be Right” by Billy Joel, “God Bless the U.S.A.” by Lee Greenwood and “Bust a Move” by Young MC.
Jimmy Kimmel was a fan. The Vegas-raised, talk-show host presented Jarr on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in 2003, Kimmel’s first season. Kimmel’s intro, “If you’ve never seen our next performer in Vegas, you’ve never been to Vegas, my friends. Prepare to have you lives changed dramatically.”
His crowd standing, Jarr followed with a bounding cover of Nelly’s “Hot in Here.”
Jarr’s wife recalled the days of the Oasis at the Dunes, where she and the entertainer met.
“He was singing, I could see he was a talented guy. But I thought, you know, like a lot of entertainers, he’s probably just a jerk,” Pettine said. “But then once he came over, he was just like the kindest person, so kind and sweet. He would talk to everybody, and be so nice. Anywhere you go, he started up conversations.
“He was so different than a lot of a lot of people. It was how kind he was that made me fall in love with him.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.