Bye Bye Gene

I was a measly eight year old when Gene Kelly passed away; it was absolutely heartbreaking that I would never get the chance to meet him in person. I wrote this song about the whole situation the very day he died entitled Bye Bye Gene, which I performed in a showcase two years later (seen here). It was a major moment in my young life; it was as if someone in my own family had died. At least the movies Kelly made would last forever and I would always be able to remember him in that way. Each and every magical film inspires me to keep working toward my own goal of being a successful performer. Gene Kelly and my father, Gary Colombo, motivate me to work especially hard at my voice lessons and dance class. The beauty of this business is that one can always become better at their craft and there is constantly something to be learned. I am now in LA and going to NYC on my journey towards being solely a performer on stage rather than entertaining in my spare time or working behind the scenes. I want this so bad I cannot even explain words would just not do my passion justice. I am determined to give this my best shot and when I decide to do something I never give up. I got my feisty determination straight from my father and his Italian blood but also in a roundabout way from Gene Kelly. I hope I get the chance to make them both proud.

Christi Colombo can be seen in the hit movie, "Pay it Forward" with Haley Joel Osment, Helen Hunt and Kevin Spacey.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Gene Kelly
• Kelly
• Bye Bye Gene
• Gary Colombo
• Christi Colombo

[GraceAndDiplomacy]

This little lady has a whole lot of sky to light up in the future!!!!

[jbdanfan]

I think you summed up the feelings of all of us that wish we could've shaken this man's hand. I've always admired the incredible physical shape he was in, even into his 60's, and in a roundabout way, that encouraged me to start exercising and lose weight. I'm proud to say I'm in better shape at 40 than I was at 20. I wish he knew how many people he's inspired in ways like yours and mine. Good luck to you!

[hellasexy22]

This tribute is the sweetest thing I've seen in a long time! In all its purity, it is quite a lovely tribute-especially for the fact the Gene really believed in children & worked to fostered their talent as a dance instructor. You really did sound great as a kid! Good luck in your future endeavors & I'll be sure to watch out for you on Broadway & feature films!