Liza Minnelli is sharing a deeply personal memory of friendship, family and the song that helped her reconnect with the people beside her during a frightening chapter of her life.
Speaking with PEOPLE, the 80-year-old entertainer recalled Michael Feinstein and her sister, Lorna Luft, holding her hand and singing Gershwin's "Love Is Here to Stay" when her future appeared uncertain. Minnelli remembered joining them, opening her eyes and finishing the song as those around her cried.
For Feinstein, hearing his beloved friend sing with them remains unforgettable.
"Hearing Liza join us in song is a moment I will cherish for the rest of my life," he wrote on Instagram in response to her account.
He praised Minnelli's enduring spirit and expressed gratitude for their friendship, describing the memory as an inspiration behind AMFM, American Music Forms Memories.
Their bond stretches back decades. During a recent Library of Congress conversation, Feinstein recalled meeting Minnelli in 1983 while he was working for Ira Gershwin. Music became a foundation of their friendship, connecting their lives through shared songs, family history and a love of the Great American Songbook.
Today, that connection also informs their work with AMFM. Minnelli told PEOPLE that she serves as the initiative's Substance Use Disorder Ambassador, while Feinstein is its Music Chair and Curator. The project brings together music and health outreach in collaboration with CommHIT and Dr. Kendra Siler.
Minnelli's reflections arrive as New York's Museum of the Moving Image prepares to celebrate her work alongside that of her father, filmmaker Vincente Minnelli. The retrospective, The Minnellis, opens November 13.
For Feinstein, the most meaningful tribute is also the most personal: remembering a moment when a familiar melody gave three people a way to reach one another.
"Thank you, Liza, for reminding us that even in our darkest hours, there is always a song worth singing," he wrote.
