Doris Day’s longtime friend shares neverbefore-seen photos.

AT 96, THE SCREEN ICON DRAWS STRENGTH FROM HER BELOVED FANS — AND ANIMALS

Life will always be a sentimental journey for Doris Day. “She’s doing very well,” her friend Pierre Patrick tells Closer. “She’s very healthy, and she still hums songs.” Now Pierre is sharing never-before-seen photos of the legendary star as well as details of her daily life. “For her, it’s all about the animals and her fans,” he says of the longtime advocate. The Doris Day Animal Foundation recently campaigned for a ballot initiative to ban greyhound racing in Florida, and the resolution passed overwhelmingly in November. “She fought really hard for it,” says Pierre. “That was a major win.”

A new three-CD expanded edition of her classic 1965 album Latin for Lovers has just been reissued with proceeds to benefit her foundation. “There’s a bonus CD with all these extra tracks,” says Pierre. “It’s a brand-new thing for the holidays.”

ONE DAY AT A TIME

Doris spends hours poring over the fan letters she receives from around the globe. “Her mail is very important to her,” says Pierre. From her home in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif., “She keeps in touch with people in Hollywood or Beverly Hills on the phone. And lots of friends come to visit.”

Lately, she’s started viewing some of her own films on Turner Classic Movies. “She hated to watch her movies — she always thought there was something wrong with them,” Pierre says. “But she’s been watching them almost as a spectator and enjoying them. She’s realized they’re terrific!” — Reporting by Amanda Champagne-Meadows

123 1. Doris played croquet with film critic Leonard Maltin at a benefit for her Best Friends charity in 1993. “It was a huge fundraiser,” says friend Pierre Patrick.2. “She looks great,” says Pierre of Doris, at her home in Carmel-bythe-Sea, Calif.3. “These are gifts from fans all over the world,” Pierre says of Doris’ collection of animalthemed trinkets. “They mean a lot to her.”