Very Rare 1965 Signed Autograph Actress Kay Stevens Luggage Duffle Tote Bag used while on her Tour in Vietnam with Bob Hope. From Kay Stevens Estate in St Cloud Florida.

This would be a framed keeper for me, but I have way to much as it is. Hope that you enjoy owning this rare piece of history. Luggage bag measures 24” x 36” Enjoy!

Kaye Stevens made her name in Holloywood, singing with members of the famous "Rat Pack," performing in Las Vegas and on Broadway, and appearing frequently on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show."

But she tired of the cabaret lifestyle, and about 20 years ago, Stevens shifted her singing and acting talents to her Christian ministry and raised funds to help build a Catholic church in South Florida.

"She was very firm in her convictions that this was the right thing to do," said one of her close friends, Rhonda Glenn of The Villages. "She was a very deep person, warm and very giving."

Stevens died at The Villages Health System following complications of breast cancer and blood clots, according to Gerry Schweitzer, another close friend. She was 79.

Born Catherine Louise Stephens in Pittsburgh, her family moved to Cleveland, where young Kaye performed as a drummer and singer, Glenn said. When she was 15, she yearned to become a comedienne, her friend said. She married bandleader and trumpet player Tommy Amato, and performed with her husband throughout the East Coast.

Carson's longtime sidekick, Ed Mcmohan, saw Kaye Stevens perform in New Jersey and helped her get more work. Her big break came in Las Vegas when she filled in for an ailing Debbie Reynolds and earned rave reviews.

Her career included performances with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. during the Rat Pack era and leading-actress roles in Broadway musicals, Glenn said. She acted in several movies, including "The New Interns" in 1964, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination.

She became a celebrity player on TV game shows, including "The Hollywood Squares," "$25,000 Pyramid" and "Password." She appeared in guest roles on many TV series, including "ChiPs" and "B.L. Stryker." From 1974-79, she played Jeri Clayton on the daytime drama "Days of Our Lives."

Among her favorite critic reviews was one by John Scott of the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, who wrote that she was "the prettiest funny girl and the funniest pretty girl in show business," Glenn recalled.

Stevens joined Bob Hope's U.S.O. tour in Vietnam in 1965 to entertain the troops and was one of the title ladies of Hope's book about the Vietnam visits, "Five Women I Love."

"That tour was a life-changing experience for her," Glenn said. "It traumatized her and brought her closer to her faith."

In 1992, Stevens decided to perform for her Christian ministry full time. Among her many projects, she appeared at fundraisers to help build St. Vincent Catholic Church in Margate, near Fort Lauderdale.

A longtime South Florida resident, Stevens often mentioning Margate during her many "Tonight Show" appearances. The city later named a park after her.

She moved to The Villages in 2004, hoping for a quieter, small town, Glenn said.

But even when she was ill in the hospital, she never stopped entertaining.

"She talked about her funeral and planned it as 'the show' and would roll her eyes," Glenn said. "She was funny right up to the end."

Her husband died before her, and the couple had no children.