Engelbert Humperdinck’s Documentary Reveals Life Story

At 87, Engelbert Humperdinck has been entertaining global audiences for decades. Among his many achievements are 63 gold and 24 platinum albums, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a

Golden Globe. His new documentary, _Engelbert Humperdinck: The Legend Continues, _available for purchase on iTunes or Apple TV+, chronicles his meteoric rise to fame and prolific career. He

shares with AARP why he loves Lady Gaga, how younger fans are hearing about his music, and the struggles of caregiving for his beloved late wife, Patricia, who suffered from Alzheimer’s and

died in February 2021. WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO FILM AND NARRATE A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT YOUR LIFE? There were moments of tension and stress and heartache and all that business, but these things are

sent to try us, and we have to do them. When I’m stressed out, I love to write poetry, and then when I read it back, it’s like a release valve. I needed to do this to get that release valve

— to do a little recap of my life and the people that are involved in it. I did want to do this and go back to the beginning and show people my humble beginnings. There are pieces of footage

they have never seen before, and therefore it was a good thing to get out there. I needed to do this. DID YOU HAVE ANY SURPRISING REVELATIONS IN THE PROCESS? Well, when I looked at myself

in the final [film], I was rather shocked, actually, because I was 40 pounds heavier than I am today. It kind of shocked me to think, _What was I going through to make that happen to my

life? _I was going through some trauma and stress at that particular time. I was in the process of trying to get my wife better. It was very stressful trying to deal with my business, and

trying to go onstage to entertain the people, and do the things that I do, and act like there’s nothing wrong when you have other things on your mind. HOW DID YOU LOSE THE WEIGHT AND GET

BACK IN SHAPE? Exercise and diet and willpower. The willpower to get back to where I function in a better way. I’m into martial arts. I do some exercises from the martial arts era — it’s

Okinawan style. And that takes me back in time, because I studied with the number one martial arts man in the world — he [won] 91 black belt [matches in a row] — undefeated [karate] world

champion Mike Stone. I studied under him, and he’s one of my best friends. To this day, if I’m not feeling very well, he’ll fly down [to L.A.] and stay with me and train me. He lives in the

Philippines. A few months ago, I wasn’t feeling too good, and I had to take time off, and he flew [here] and just exercised me for a whole month [to] get me back on my feet again.