Biographie

Son of singer Morton Downey and dancer Barbara Bennett

According to a 1988 Newsweek interview, Downey's younger sister, Lorelle Ann Downey, had a nervous breakdown at age 14 and began to show behavioral problems. His father had her institutionalized in Pennsylvania and she was given a frontal lobotomy. She was smothered to death in 1977 by a fellow mental patient.

Planned in 1974 to start the World Baseball League in 32 worldwide cities with franchises selling for $150,000. Plans never got off the ground.

He was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1996, and had part of his right lung removed. The remainder of the lung was removed in March 1998 with the discovery of a small tumor.

Nephew of actresses Constance Bennett & Joan Bennett.

Baseball as presently played and structured is a bore.

[on his downfall in the late 1980's] I think I must have looked like one paranoid man totally out of control with my personal life. I stepped into my own manure.

I am not a talk-show host. I am an advocate.

I know I have a spark that sometimes ignites my brain before the fuse of my tongue has had the opportunity to go out. But that happens to me in regular life, too.

[on his notorious 1980's talk show] It got out of control because the producers wanted me to top myself every night. If I did something outlandish on Monday night, on Tuesday night, we'd have to think of something even more outlandish. And after awhile, you work yourself toward the edge of the trampoline and you fall off. I fell off a number of times and I found it very displeasing.