‘Frosty the Snowman’ voice actor had ‘at least’ three secret families, Quaalude addiction: son

The dark secret behind the beloved voice of ‘Frosty the Snowman’ Behind Frosty’s cheerful voice was a complicated life. Jackie Vernon’s son, David Vernon, reveals the hidden families and struggles that shaped the man behind the snowman in a recent episode of "Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia." Jackie Vernon voiced one of pop culture’s most beloved, jolly characters. Off-screen, his life was anything but joyful: the stand-up comic had multiple secret families and battled a serious Quaalude addiction. The shocking truth about the man who famously voiced "Frosty the Snowman" was revealed by his son, David Vernon, in a recent interview on "Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia." The star died in 1987 at age 63. "Frosty the Snowman" premiered in 1969. (Rankin-Bass Productions/ALAMY) During the sit-down, David shared that the performer, born Ralph Verrone, had three families before he started a new life with his wife, Hazel. The couple married in 1958 and remained together until his death. They shared three children. Life at the Vernon household was full of surprises. However, nothing prepared David for a knock at the door one fateful day. "There was a woman there with a kid who was older than I was," he recalled on the show. "He was probably in his late teens, and he was a little rough-around-the-edges-looking. And the woman asked to speak to my dad. And I said, ‘My dad’s on the road. He’s not home.’ Jackie Vernon died in 1987 at age 63. (Norman James/Toronto Star via Getty Images) "And then I remembered she was very firm," said David. "She’s like, ‘Well, I want to speak to your mother then.’ So, my mom came, and I guess she assessed what the situation was right away, but my mom told me to go upstairs. . . . I heard a somewhat heated conversation going on. And then a couple of minutes later, they left." WATCH: THE DARK SECRET BEHIND THE BELOVED VOICE OF ‘FROSTY THE SNOWMAN’ David then confronted his mother. "I asked my mom, ‘Who was that?’" said David. "And it finally came out that before our family, my dad had been married at least three other times, which I was kind of shocked to find out." Vernon found fame playing a series of "lovable losers" on TV shows such as "The Dean Martin Show," "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" and "The Merv Griffin Show," among others, the Los Angeles Times reported. But before showbiz came calling, the performer had other marriages - and other children. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER Jackie Vernon is seen here in 1965. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) "One marriage, I think, was when he was in the military, when he was like 19," said David. "And from these marriages, he had sons, and he named them all Ralph after himself, after his original name, Ralph Verrone. But he also abandoned all these families. He left them, moved on. My mom wasn’t even sure if he had divorced one of...

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