KLAS-TV Channel 8 News Las VegasJoey Bishop Pals With Leading Gangsters of His Era

Joey Bishop Pals With Leading Gangsters of His Era

The final member of the Rat Pack, Joey Bishop, has died. He was 89 years old.

Bishop, alongside Peter Lawford, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr. formed the Rat Pack in the 1960's. They ruled the roost in Las Vegas selling out every show, every night in the Copa Room at the Sands in Las Vegas.

As with the other members of the Rat Pack, Joey Bishop was friendly with leading gangsters of his era.

Bishop was particularly close to Hollywood bookmaker and mob figure Mickey Cohen, who played a role along with Bugsy Siegel in the early development of modern Las Vegas.

A new biography of Mickey Cohen has just been released. Its author, Brad Lewis says the friendship between Bishop and Cohen was very real.

Brad Lewis, author of Hollywood Celebrity Gangster, said, "A good friend of Mickey Cohen's. When Mickey Cohen was in prison for tax evasion, one of the few people who wrote him consistently was Joey Bishop. They also called Joey Bishop to testify in a retrial of a murder against Mickey Cohen -- the shooting of Jack Whelan. They called Joey Bishop as a witness. Ironic. Of all the Rat Pack, the only one to ever testify in a murder trial was Joey Bishop."

Brad Lewis says mobster Mickey Cohen helped promote the early careers of many other entertainers and politicians. Lewis is holding a book signing Friday afternoon, Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. at the Gamblers Book Shop.

Gamblers Book Shop is located at 630 South 11th Street in downtown Las Vegas.