United States singer and songwriter Gene Pitney, a pop-music star of the 1960s whose chart-topping hits included Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa and Something’s Gotten Hold of My Heart, died on Wednesday during a tour of Britain, his agent said. He was 65.
Winner of a Golden Globe and nominated for an Academy Award, Pitney was inducted into the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame four years ago. Besides a successful performing career of his own, he also collaborated with some of the biggest names in rock music.
Pitney was found dead in bed by his tour manager at the Hilton hotel in Cardiff, his agent, Mark Howes, said.
A spokesperson for South Wales police said the police received a report of a death at 10.10am local time, adding that ”it is not believed to be suspicious”.
Pitney — whose career tapered off in the late 1960s in the US but continued to flourish in Europe and especially in Britain — played in Cardiff on Tuesday night and was due to perform in Bristol on Wednesday.
”He did a good show last night at St David’s Hall [Cardiff]; it was wonderful,” Howes, of Pitney’s management company, In Touch Music, told BBC Wales.
”I’ve seen him quite a few times on this tour and he was fit and well. He said it was the best tour he had done for quite a few years,” Howes said.
Pitney broke into the top ranks of pop music in 1961 shortly after starting a collaboration with songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David that resulted in the recording of his first hit single, (I Wanna) Love My Life Away.
Within months, he had his first big mega-hit, Town without Pity.
His songs have been recorded by some of the world’s biggest stars — Hello Mary Lou was released by Ricky Nelson, Today’s Teardrops by Roy Orbison and Rubber Ball by US singer Bobby Vee and British artist Marty Wilde.
He worked with the Rolling Stones and is credited with helping them rise to fame in the US.
A spokesperson for Cardiff coroner Mary Hassell said she had been informed of the star’s death and that a post-mortem examination would take place to establish whether an inquest would be necessary.
In an interview at Christmas, Pitney said he was excited at taking his show around Britain on a 23-date tour, which was due to end later this month.
Asked about his demanding schedule, he replied: ”I take care of myself. I can finish up the tour, no problem whatsoever. I love doing what I’m doing — to pick and choose where I want to go and what I want to do.” — AFP
