Humanitarian: Katz aids Rod Stewart impersonator

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — With his spiked blond hair, raspy voice and "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" mannerisms, George Orr is accustomed to paying tribute to someone he admires.

In fact, Mr. Orr spends most nights, in different venues across Florida, paying tribute to singer Rod Stewart, in tandem with his wife Kelly, as part of the George Orr and the Hot Rod Band show. The adult-oriented performance features plenty of Rod Stewart tunes, as well as comedic banter between the pair.

He has droves of fans — check out www.notrodstewart.com — and his exploits are featured in a story in this month's Spirit magazine for Southwest Airlines entitled, "The Life and Wild Times of Rod Stewart Impersonator."

Still, Mr. Orr can't pay enough tribute to one of his biggest fans: Ron Katz, the recipient of the 2021 Tire Business Tire Dealer Humanitarian Medal.

"I can't speak more highly of the man," Mr. Orr said. "His heart is really into it."

It was a year ago when Mr. Katz called Mr. Orr, basically out of the blue, and asked if he could organize a benefit for Mr. Orr's wife, who was battling esophageal cancer. The medical bills were piling up — and the Orrs did not have health care coverage.

While Mr. Katz had attended several of the Orrs' shows — "I work hard; I play harder," Mr. Katz says — the Orrs did not know who Mr. Katz was before he called to make his offer.

Mr. Orr's reaction?

"To use a British phrase, I was gobsmacked that anyone would do that for us," said Mr. Orr, who was born in Falkirk, Scotland, and moved to the U.S. in the 1980s, seeking fame and fortune. "There were TV stations, radio stations there. ... I had never considered something like that. It was a major deal, astonished anyone would do that."

The story behind Kelly and George is somewhat astonishing itself.

The pair met several years ago, when Mr. Orr was setting up equipment at a local bar, located near Kelly's apartment.

Mr. Orr overheard Kelly, then an executive with Continental Airlines, telling her group that she was looking to hire someone to teach pilots self defense.

Mr. Orr — the tallish, wild-haired Rod Stewart lookalike, a glass of Chardonnay in one hand — volunteered for the job.

The group laughed about the idea of it, and moved on.

A week later, the same group was back. Mr. Orr approached Kelly and explained he was a world class black belt and could train the pilots and crew members.

He was hired, and for a time, Kelly was Mr. Orr's boss.

Eventually, Kelly — whose father, Paul Wilcox, hosted a popular polka variety show on a Cleveland television station for more than a decade in the 1970s — joined the act.

They dated on and off, but the relationship turned serious "as soon as he lost interest in all of his other girlfriends," Kelly said. They were married April 4, 2016.

Less than four years later, Kelly was having difficulty keeping food down. Then she couldn't keep water down. Or even her own saliva. She was so dehydrated she kept passing out.

One hospital refused to treat her because she didn't have insurance. She eventually was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor, located where the esophagus meets the stomach.

The treatment included six months of chemotherapy, as well as surgery to remove two-thirds of her stomach and several inches of her esophagus.

"It was a journey I would not like to venture out on again," she said.

As a fan, Mr. Katz followed the Orrs' Facebook page. He was taken aback when he read the news: Kelly had been given six months to live, and the couple was saddled with thousands of dollars in medical bills.

With the pandemic still raging, bars were closed, and Mr. Orr had no place to perform and thus make money.

So Mr. Katz decided to call Mr. Orr.

"I said, 'You don't know me, but I want to come down and talk to you,'" Mr. Katz recalled. "And he said, 'About what?' I said 'I want to do something for your wife.'"

They met later. Mr. Katz told Mr. Orr about his idea of hosting a benefit at his Midas shop in West Palm Beach, including a barbecue, raffles, giveaways, food trucks, etc. He told Mr. Orr, "We'll make a day of it."

Mr. Katz had two stipulations:

1. He wanted Mr. Orr to perform at the event.

2. He wanted to meet Kelly.

The first was easy. The second, not-so-much.

"He said OK, but she's not the prettiest thing right now,'" Mr. Katz said. "I said, 'That's OK.'"

Kelly said she was in no mood, nor physical shape, to see company.

"I was basically on my deathbed at home," she said. "I was down to 90 pounds. And not to get graphic, but I had a bucket by my side."

A couple of days later, Mr. Katz showed up at the Orr residence, bringing her an enormous teddy bear, wrapped in a Scottish kilt.

"He was lovely and charming and certainly welcoming," she recalled. "He said he was not going to stay long. That was the first time I really met him."

Mr. Katz said he told her he wanted to do this for her. "I said, 'I don't know how much you'll get out of it, but whatever it is, we will give it all to you.'"

Mr. Katz called all of his vendors, asking for whatever they could donate. A business donated a stage. Another provided a trip to raffle. Midas donated $500.

The event went off seamlessly. Pockets of rain surrounded the area, but not one drop fell on the event.

Attendance wasn't as large as Mr. Katz had hoped, but then again, it was in the middle of a pandemic.

"The people who did come spent money with us," Mr. Katz said.

Mr. Katz donated 10% of sales at the shop that day to the cause. And he matched what was raised.

The Orrs received more than $10,000.

"He really didn't know anything about me," Kelly said. "He knew about George being a performer. Albeit I perform, I am not the star of the show.

"He made me a real star," she said. "He was like an angel. The fact that someone cares that much, doing so much out of the goodness of his own heart, that was a big part of my recovery."

Today, Kelly's cancer is in remission. She said she feels healthy and strong, but said that could change "at the drop of a hat." The act is back together, performing four to five days a week, traveling from venue to venue. They soon will be appearing in Vancouver.

Mr. Orr, meanwhile, continues to dabble in martial arts. He soon will be a seventh degree blackbelt, and next year will be honored at a martial arts event in Atlantic City.

The Orrs make it a point to promote Mr. Katz and his Midas shops as often as possible. Mr. Katz continues to attend the show with his friends and family.

"What can't you say about Ron?" Kelly said. "We are so thankful for everything he is and what he does. We are so blessed he is our friend, and we look forward to a long and prosperous friendship."