Obituary: Gene Pitney

Gene Pitney died in Cardiff the morning after a concert that won him a standing ovation.

* Gene Pitney, singer, songwriter. Died aged 65.

American singer Gene Pitney, who shot to fame in the 1960s with hits including 24 Hours from Tulsa, has died while on tour in Britain.

Pitney, who had a string of hit records and wrote songs recorded by other stars, toured regularly throughout his long career and was in the middle of a 23-show tour of Britain, where he had a strong following.

He was found dead in Cardiff, the morning after he had given a concert that won him a standing ovation.

Tour manager James Kelly said Pitney was found fully clothed on his hotel bed as though he had just lain down for a rest after the show.

Born on February 17, 1941, in Hartford, Connecticut, Pitney initially had no real ambition to be a singer. According to his official website, as a boy he was more at home collecting stamps and coins, trapping mink and muskrat and experimenting with electronics.

But music gradually began to take over his life and he formed a band, Gene and the Genials, while a student at Rockville High School.

After high school, Pitney teamed up with singer Ginny Arnell and recorded for Decca as Jamie & June.

His initial successes came when other musicians recorded his songs and he concentrated on writing rather than performing.

Roy Orbison released Today's Teardrops as the B-side of his hit single Blue Angel in 1960, while Rubber Ball became a million-seller hit for American artist Bobby Vee and Britain's Marty Wilde. He also wrote Hello Mary Lou for Ricky Nelson, and He's a Rebel, which became a huge hit for the Crystals in 1962.

Pitney then began to record his own songs, working with producer Phil Spector and scoring his first American top 20 hit with the title song from the movie Town without Pity.

The movie theme The Man who Shot Liberty Valance gave him another hit but it was the 1963 release of 24 Hours from Tulsa that brought him worldwide fame.

Pitney became friendly with the Rolling Stones and his endorsement of them in the US is credited with helping them break through there.

Stones stars Mick Jagger and Keith Richards wrote That Girl Belongs to Yesterday, which was a hit for Pitney on both sides of the Atlantic.

Pitney had 16 top 40 songs in the United States from 1961 to 1968, and 40 hit songs in Britain up to 1974.

He enjoyed a revival in Britain in 1990 when his duet with Marc Almond, Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart, reached number one.

Pitney is survived by his wife Lynne and three sons, David, Todd and Chris.

- REUTERS