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The fallout of the recent tell all books continue for Doris Day.  Instead of being honoured for all her accomplishments in films, music and animal welfare, these books just gave ammunition to those who couldn’t wait to ridicule Doris.  Doris Day’s much desired peace in Carmel has been shattered by the paparazzi  who stalked  her and took a picture of a justifiably annoyed Doris. The picture travels the world and the most ridiculous and uninformed comments, by some columnists, ensue.  She is called reclusive and worse. 

Reclusive people don’t go out shopping, they don’t answer their fan mail or talk to their fans by phone. Doris Day does all these things.  Just a few weeks ago I had an amazing opportunity to talk to Doris and she was gracious, humorous and “sharp as a tack” , as her publicist points out. 

It’s totally unacceptable that Doris is not left alone by the media to enjoy her life in Carmel.   Unfortunately, Doris is a victim of her continued popularity and a following that is growing, as younger people discover her.   It’s ironic, but, we ,the fans, are partly to blame that Doris’ privacy has been breeched. Our need to know all about her gives incentive to some to blatantly stalk her or even invent all kinds of lies about her. This is the horrible price of fame.

Doris Day fans have decided to fight against the lies and misinformation about Ms. Day.

Here is an excerpt of a declaration by the Doris Day Web Forum fans that will be sent to different websites to inform them about the Doris Day we all love and care for. 

Doris Day: Misleading and intrusive media reporting: Friends of Hollywood star Doris Day express concern over ‘misleading and intrusive media reporting’ and call for restraint. Friends and fans of Doris Day would like to express concern at the level of negative media coverage of the (ex) actress as a result of recent books about her. Particularly, at the present moment, the taking and publishing of paparazzi-style photographs and the accompanying headlines and comments suggesting she is in distress. We cannot speak for her officially but many of us know her personally and would suggest that any distress she may or may not feel would be solely the result of not being able to go about her business without lurking photographers and imaginative copy writers.

Many friends who know her and are in regular contact with her, know that this type of reporting is completely without foundation. She is a happy, kind and intelligent woman, a recent recipient of The Presidential Medal of Freedom Award, America’s highest honour to a citizen, and a Grammy Award winner, she devotes her life to animal welfare - and to her friends - and she is not a recluse or collector of stray animals.

She is loved and held in high regard the world over and we, as her friends, would ask the media to show her the respect she deserves and to refrain from subjecting her, and us, to further reporting of this nature. We believe that the truth about Doris Day, both her achievements and her life today, are a much more interesting story and we would urge the media to write about that if they must write about her.

For and on behalf of the friends and fans of Doris Day,

The Doris Day Web Forum
August 2008