Rona Barrett is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 gossip columnist

Gossip columnist

A gossip columnist is someone who writes a gossip column in a newspaper or magazine, especially a gossip magazine. Gossip columns are material written in a light, informal style, which relates the gossip columnist's opinions about the personal lives or conduct of celebrities from show business ,...

 and businesswoman. She currently runs the Rona Barrett Foundation, a non-profit organization in Santa Ynez, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, dedicated to the aid and support of senior citizens

Old age

Old age consists of ages nearing or surpassing the average life span of human beings, and thus the end of the human life cycle...

 in need.
As a teenager, Barrett overcame a degenerative hip condition that made walking extremely difficult, and became one of the first fan club

Fan club

A fan club is a group that is dedicated to a well-known person, group, idea or sometimes even an inanimate object . Most fan clubs are run by fans who devote considerable time and resources to supporting them. There are also "official" fan clubs that are run by someone associated with the person...

 organisers for popular singers she admired, such as Eddie Fisher

Eddie Fisher (singer)

Edwin Jack "Eddie" Fisher , was an American entertainer. He was one of the world's most famous and successful singers in the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show. His divorce from his first wife, Debbie Reynolds, to marry his best friend's widow, Elizabeth Taylor, garnered...

 and Steve Lawrence

Steve Lawrence

Steve Lawrence is an American singer and actor, perhaps best known as a member of a duo with his wife Eydie Gormé, billed as "Steve and Eydie"...

.