Gia Maione Prima was an American singer and wife of singer Louis Prima. Born in Roebling, New Jersey, Maione was a 1959 graduate of Toms River High School. She first gained notice in 1962, when she was signed to sing lead female vocals for Prima and his band. Prima had divorced Keely Smith, his former lead vocalist, the year before. Smith left the orchestra, creating the opening that Maione filled. In 1963 she married Prima, becoming his fifth and final wife. She had two children by Prima, Louis Jr. and Lena. In 1965, the couple recorded Let's Fly With Mary Poppins, a popular album containing jazz versions of songs from the popular Disney film. The couple routinely performed at locations such as the Copacabana, the Sahara Hotel, the Sands Hotel, and the Palmer House in Chicago. Although paired with Prima near the end of his career, Prima, Maione and orchestra remained extremely popular and sang to sold out crowds up to the time of Prima's death. In 1975, while undergoing an operation in Los Angeles to remove a benign brain tumor, Prima lapsed into a coma and never regained consciousness. He died almost three years later on August 24, 1978 in his home town of New Orleans. 

May 20th, 1941 in Roebling, New Jersey  /  Died:   Sep 23rd, 2013