"Well Hello Mary Lou Goodbye World " Singer Gene Pitney Dead At 65

Death notice London, England
United Kingdom Press Association:
040506

American singer Gene Pitney,
known for 1960s hits like "24 Hours from Tulsa,"
has died while on a UK concern tour, his agent said.
Pitney, 65, was found dead just after 10 a.m.
Wednesday (0500 ET) at the Hilton Hotel in Cardiff, Wales.
His agent, Gene Levy, told Reuters Pitney died on Wednesday
morning after given a concert in the Welsh capital the
previous day. There was no immediate word on the cause
of death. Friends said he was in apparent good health
and his death came as a shock. South Wales police said
they had been called to a hotel at 9:50 a.m. on Wednesday
morning and that the death was not being treated as suspicious.

In addition to "24 Hours From Tulsa," Pitney's 40-year career
included such as "It Hurts to Be in Love," "Every Breath I Take,"
"Town Without Pity," "Only Love Can Break a Heart"
and the operatic "I'm Gonna Be Strong." His last U.S. hit was
"She's a Heartbreaker" in 1968.

Pitney rose to fame in the 1960s and was introduced
to a new generation of fansin 1989 when he recorded
"Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart" as a duet with
Marc Almond, the UK's Press Association reported.
The single gave Pitney his first UK number one --
22 years after its first release, PA added.
He had 11 top 10 hits in the UK including "That Girl
Belongs To Yesterday" and "Looking Thru The Eyes of Love.
The Movie Theme song "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance"
was among his best known.
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 U.S. singer Bobby Vee and
British artist Marty Wilde. He also wrote the No. 1 Crystals hit
"He's a Rebel" He worked with the Rolling Stones and
was credited with helping them find fame in the U.S.,
according to PA. In 2002 he was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.