American Idol Contestant is 'Already a Winner' to Stuttering Community

For Immediate Release
Contact: Greg Wilson
gregwilsonpr@gmail.com
571-239-7474

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Jan. 18, 2013) — Stuttering Foundation president Jane Fraser had the following comment about last night's American Idol show featuring Lazaro Arbos, a contestant who stutters:

"The Stuttering Foundation is jumping for joy after seeing Lazaro Arbos successfully move on to the Hollywood round! For his courage to speak and perform on one of the most-watched shows on television in America, Lazaro Arbos is already a winner to the stuttering community. His participation on American Idol is an inspiration to so many and provides us with yet another wonderful opportunity to educate the public about stuttering. It is very common for people who stutter to be able to sing fluently and beautifully. B.B. King, Carly Simon, Bill Withers and Nancy Wilson are among the most famous singers who stutter. All have been prominently featured in our Famous People Who Stutter brochure and poster which can be viewed on our website at www.StutteringHelp.org. Lazaro is in great company and we wish him great success throughout his singing career!"

Foundation Spokesperson Jane Fraser
Jane Fraser is president of The Stuttering Foundation and co-author of If Your Child Stutters: A Guide for Parents, 8th edition. She is also vice president of the Action for Stammering Children, Michael Palin Centre, London. Ms. Fraser is available for interviews by contacting Greg Wilson, 571-239-7474 or email: gregwilsonpr@gmail.com. Download a picture of Jane Fraser.

About the Foundation
Malcolm Fraser, a successful businessman and stutterer, went on to establish and endow the nonprofit Stuttering Foundation in 1947. The Stuttering Foundation provides a toll-free helpline, 800-992-9392, and free online resources on its Website, www.StutteringHelp.org, including services, referrals and support to people who stutter and their families, as well as support for research into the causes of stuttering. Please visit us at www.StutteringHelp.org.

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Lewis Carroll

The recent Disney version of Lewis Carroll’s classic, Alice in Wonderland, garnered a great deal of media hype. Even though the mainstream media has not made mention that Carroll was a person who stuttered, his family history gives credence to the discovery of the genetic link to stuttering. Carroll was born to parents who were first cousins; almost all of their eleven children, three girls and seven boys, struggled with stuttering past childhood.

Marilyn Monroe

From Edward S. Herrington's letter to Southcoasttoday.com

I am writing in response to "The importance of voice" (May 29), which mentioned that famous actor James Earl Jones struggled with stuttering. Another famous voice that you cited was the trademark breathy voice of Marilyn Monroe; however, you did not make mention of the fact that Marilyn Monroe also struggled with stuttering at various points in her life, sometimes very painfully.

James Earl Jones

Actor James Earl Jones, a Broadway, television and movie star, is well-known for his voice as Darth Vader in Star Wars and his book Voices and Silences. Jones has spoken some of the most memorable lines in the history of American film, but the man known for his voice was once afflicted with a severe stutter.

Alan Rabinowitz

Alan Rabinowitz, Ph.D., who passed away in 2018, was an explorer, wildlife conservationist, and author. He established the Hukawng Valley Tiger Reserve in northern Myanmar, which is about the size of the state of Vermont.

His love for animals began when he was very young.

Bruce Willis

While the world knows Bruce Willis as an A-list actor, few know that he struggled with stuttering throughout his first 20 years.

Walter Bruce Willis was born in 1955 in West Germany to his German mother, Marlene, and his American GI father, David Willis. The family settled in David’s hometown of Penns Grove, New Jersey in 1957, and the couple has three other children.