Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter from Peru, Indiana. His works include the musical comedies Kiss Me Kate, Fifty Million Frenchmen, and Anything Goes, as well as songs like “Night and Day”, “I Get a Kick out of You”, and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”. He was noted for his sophisticated (sometimes ribald) lyrics, clever rhymes, and complex forms. He was one of the greatest contributors to the Great American Songbook.

In 1937, a riding accident crushed his legs and left him in chronic pain, largely crippled. Porter underwent more than 30 surgeries on his legs and was in constant pain for the rest of his life. Despite his pain, Porter continued to write successful shows. Eventually, his injuries caught up with him. After a series of ulcers and more operations on his right leg, it had to be amputated and replaced with an artificial limb in 1958. He never wrote another song after 1958 and spent the remaining years of his life in relative seclusion. Cole Porter died of kidney failure at the age of 73 in Santa Monica, California.