“Life is a cabaret,” Liza Minnelli sings in the title song from Cabaret, the 1972 movie musical that helped cement her status as a star. But those lyrics didn’t always ring true for Minnelli herself.

Liza Minnelli's frail state prevents her from attending close friend's funeral. "Faced with her own health challenges and confined to a wheelchair, Liza was unable to make the journey from Los Angeles ...