(16 Mar 2020) ON THIS DAY: 16 MARCH 2002, LIZA MINNELLI AND DAVID GEST MARRIED IN NEW YORK, WITH CELEBRITY WEDDING GUESTS
Singer Liza Minnelli danced at the altar as she celebrated her wedding to David Gest in New York on 16 March 2002, with an array of celebrity guests.
It was Minnelli's fourth wedding.
Natalie Cole sang "Unforgettable" as Michael Jackson gave away the thrice-divorced Minnelli to the 48-year-old producer.
Guests outside the church said best man Jackson carried the train of Minnelli's white silk Bob Mackie dress because maid of honor Marisa Berenson forgot her duties.
The bride and groom were introduced by Jackson last year when Minnelli appeared in Gest's television production of "Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special."
A crowd of fans outside Marble Collegiate Church screamed as the newlyweds slipped out a side door. A limousine waited to take them to a reception with an eclectic guest list reminiscent of Liza's days as a regular of the famous discotheque Studio 54.
The guest list featured such A-list stars as actors Anthony Hopkins and Michael Douglas, rocker Elton John and TV news personalities Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters.
Celebrities including David Hasselhoff, Phyllis Diller and Robert Goulet arrived in limousines, Rolls-Royces and even yellow cabs.
Curious New Yorkers observed from rooftops and apartment windows.
Saturday's wedding extravaganza had promised more excess than Minnelli's first three combined.
Minnelli was wed previously to entertainer Peter Allen (1967-72), producer Jack Haley Jr. (1974-79), and stage manager/sculptor Mark Gero (1979-92).
Minnelli, who had just turned 56, went on honeymoon with Gest in Thailand. Afterwards, the daughter of Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli launched a European tour.
For Minnelli, the wedding marked a personal comeback. In 2000, she nearly died after a battle with encephalitis. She was severely overweight and worried she might never sing again.
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