John Lawerence Porrazzo

Johnny Porrazzo's musical talent and captivating personality took him to stages across the country and into the hearts of those who met him. He died Saturday, July 18, at age 73.

He grew up on the east side of Youngstown, learning to play piano in the church. His talent and love of music prompted him to begin touring with gospel bands while still a teenager.

He performed and recorded with The Hopper Brothers and Connie (now known as The Hoppers), the Abraham Brothers, and the Singing Christians for many years.

Although Gospel was Johnny's first love, he eventually branched out as a solo performer. Still, he frequently returned to his gospel roots. His most-requested song was "The Lighthouse," which was also the title of one of his albums.

Johnny played in many cities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, South Carolina, and across the nation. He met the love of his life, Mike McCormick, while performing at the Martha Washington Inn in Abingdon, Va., in 1981.

While his strong and impassioned singing voice and ability to play nearly any song on the piano got Johnny his start, it was his on- and off-stage personality that took him to the next level as a performer. At The Abbey in Greenville in the '70s, his career began to take off.

He recorded several albums. The best-known was "Porrazzo" on Polydor Records in 1980. That was followed by national television appearances on both the Merv Griffin and Mike Douglas shows, as well as Dance Fever.

He toured worldwide, with extended appearances including military bases in the Philippines and multiple stages in Atlantic City. That led to stints on both the Viking and Carnival cruise lines. He was a voting member of the Recording Academy's Grammy Awards.

He returned to the Midwest and became the musical talent for multiple Miss Ohio and Miss Pennsylvania scholarship pageants beginning in the '80s. He was in great demand and expanded to perform at multiple pageants for the Miss USA organization as well. He was a sparkling emcee on stage. Behind the scenes, he reveled in being part of the pageant family, sparking longtime friendships.

It was his ability to connect with people - and maintain those connections - that set Johnny apart from other performers. Even though he was a star, he remained approachable and caring. Everyone who met Johnny believed that Johnny truly cared about them. That was not a stage illusion; he truly did. Johnny remembered the names of nearly everyone he met. His fans were also his friends, and they returned again and again to see him perform.

Although he had lived in Atlanta since 1983 with his husband, he traveled throughout much of his career. In the '90s, he teamed up with comedian Jerry Farber in a collaboration that would last the rest of his life. He performed the national anthem at both Braves and Hawks games, and he performed with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra. He headlined at a variety of clubs and restaurants in Buckhead and the greater metro area. Charities were important to him, and he sang at many worthy events.

Johnny never retired. He loved entertaining people far too much. He slowed his schedule a bit but continued to perform, including at the Atlanta airport. He was especially well-suited to piano bars, which allowed him to be closer to his audience and mix entertaining with conversation.

Johnny loved to travel. He felt most at home in Italy. He loved the beach, the sun, and Mexico in winter. He and Mike also traveled to China and France. After his many years on the road, Johnny enjoyed being a homebody, making (and eating) pasta, snuggling his dog, drinking wine, and even doing household chores.

Ultimately, though, his main hobby was people. He loved to lift them up. Whether you were famous or worked in his dentist's office, he wanted to make sure you knew he loved you.

Johnny was the son of John and Nancy Porrazzo. His stepmother was Carmella Porrazzo, and his birth mother was Joanne Garreffa.

He is survived by his husband, Michael McCormick, with whom he shared his life for 44 years.

He is also survived by his brother, Richard Porrazzo. His sisters are Theresa Johnstin, Angie Schuller, and Debbie Burch.

Johnny had a large and loving family, including aunts and uncles Mike and Mary Marino, John and Shirley Marino, and Dee Porrazzo; and cousins too numerous to list.

Johnny is also survived by his sisters-in-law, Robin McCormick, Sylvia Duhon, and Troy Amastar. He was an exceptional uncle to Sam McCormick, Nebula McCormick, and Amber and Levi Bennett.

Johnny also had many, many close friends who were like family to him, especially Sherry Hopkins and Kathleen Diflaviana.

Johnny was loved by many additional family members and friends. If he had written his own obituary, it would contain the names of all of them. Johnny loved his people with all his heart, and he would never want to leave anyone out.