Thanks to Gary Lewis and a DNA test, Suzan Lewis proved that she and late comedian Jerry Lewis were blood-related. Still, she was homeless even though Jerry left behind millions.
Suzan Lewis has been making headlines for several years, trying to make her father, late actor and comedian Jerry Lewis, acknowledge her as her biological daughter. That never happened.
JERRY LEWIS’ UNRECOGNIZED DAUGHTER
Suzan’s mother, late fashion model Lynn Dixon, supposedly met Jerry in the late 1940s through a mutual friend, fellow comedian and actor Milton Berle.
Dixon and Jerry reportedly grew fond of each other fairly quickly and had an affair for three years. As a result, Suzan was born in 1952. Unfortunately, Jerry never officially or unofficially recognized her as his daughter.
Portrait of Jerry Lewis circa 1957 | Photo: Wikimedia Commons Images
It is unclear why the comedian made that decision, but the idea of having a child out of wedlock affecting his career image (especially in the 50s) may have played a part. His second wife, SanDee Pitnick, was not interested in Suzan, so they eventually stopped contacting each other.
According to Suzan, she always knew Jerry was her father as they would see each other whenever he was available. Luckily, Suzan grew up with a father figure at home.
SUZAN LEWIS’ STEP-FATHER
After having Suzan, Dixon married Hy Uchitel, and they stayed together for 17 years. Uchitel raised Suzan since she was two years old, and she described him as a fun-loving and mild-mannered man who taught her respect, hard work, and education.
One of the best things she learned from her late step-father was never to drink or do drugs. He led by example as he never drank even though he ran different establishments, including the restaurant and nightclub El Morocco in New York.
Uchitel also owned A Place for Steak in Miami. Many celebrities and politicians, including Joe DiMaggio, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, and John F. Kennedy, were regular guests of both restaurants.
In 2010, rumors about Uchitel having ties with the mob started spreading. Suzan labeled them as “absurd” as the fact that people with real mob ties frequented his restaurants didn’t make Uchitel a mob member.
Suzan’s life got complicated after a head-on collision in 1996 almost killed her.
Suzan Lewis and a friend David sleeping on a metal bench in Philadelphia in 2017 | Photo: YouTube/Inside Edition
Coming back to Suzan and Jerry’s case, she tried to be recognized as his daughter several times. In 2009, she got the unexpected help of Gary Lewis, a musician born to Jerry and his first wife, Patti Palmer.
Gary agreed to take a DNA test, which showed an 88.7 percent probability that he and Suzan are related. Rick Saphire, Suzan and Gary’s former manager, once admitted:
“The combined scientific, physical, statistical, and testimonial evidence puts all doubts to rest: Gary and Suzan are half brother and sister, and Jerry is their biological father.”
STILL UNRECOGNIZED
Despite the scientific evidence, Jerry never acknowledged her parentage. Suzan’s life got complicated after a head-on collision in 1996 almost killed her and left her incapacitated. She has been struggling ever since.
In 2017, shortly after Jerry passed away and left $50 million behind, Inside Edition got in touch with her. Surprisingly, she was living on the streets of Philadelphia.
It is unclear if Suzan is still homeless, but at the time, she would spend most of her time in a food court to keep herself warm during the winter and cool in the summer.
She would also use public restrooms in restaurants and hotels to wash up and bathe, clean her clothes in laundromats, and sleep on a metal bench with a friend, David.
Although her situation was challenging, she pointed out that being negative all the time was pointless as it would only lead to being miserable. LaTanya Young also has faced homelessness despite having a millionaire dad: Dr. Dre.
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