My Page for the Endearing 'The Lankey Yank' Our adopted Aussie Don Lane. Morton Donald Isaacson or better known to us Don Lane (Lane was taken from Frankie Laine) was born on 13th November 1933 in New York USA and raised and went to school in the Bronx, attending DeWitt Clinton High School and sadly he died 22nd October 2009 an eastern suburbs nursing home in Sydney NSW Australia. His parents Jacob (Jewish) and Dolly (Catholic) however she later became Jewish. He started out entertaining as as singer, and nightclub performer and in the 50's he was drafted into the Army (Artillery) and became a commissioned officer. He worked many places in New York, LA & Hawaii. Around 1965 he was introduced to Australian shore was when Dave Allen was sacked from Channel 9 and producer John Collins was looking for replacement and asked Wayne Newton was there someone to whom he could recommend. He was such a hit with us he went from a 6 week contract to 40 weeks. He eventually went back to the USA and worked in nightclubs, including Las Vegas, returning again to Australia in 1975 to help the with concert to benefit the victims of Cyclone Tracy and he then went and worked out of Melbourne with the Don Lane Show till this 50th birthday in 1983 with final show going for some 2½ hours. He again went back to the USA for 2 more years and in 1987 he again grace our shores like a rubber band he kept on bouncing back to us. The 'This Is your Life' program proudly did a show for Don Lane on the 9 network and they also did many other shows which he compared in sport shows and 40 years of TV.2003 he was inducted into the 'TV Week Logies Award Hall of Fame' Don actually won 15 Logies during his career here The news broke in 2008 that Don was suffering from Alzheimer's disease or Dementia, and this was disputed as many times as it was mentioned and even today this still is not that clear. But hey, he has died and we have lost a wonderful Aussie icon, and that is all I care about. Don Lane married Jane Ambrose (divorced later)  and had son PJ on 11th December 1984 and he came back from the US to take care of his father in 2009. Don's health took a turn for the worse this week and so for Don who not been well for some time finally died, ending his fantastic career in show biz. Well your light might have left us Don but am sure Doris Stokes and Sammy and Billy Thorpe will be there with their arms out to greet you and will be at peace at last. PJ is some like you you have left part of you behind, for us to remember you by.