Gene Pitney Has Died

[david uk]

Veteran US crooner Gene Pitney died suddenly last night in his hotel in Cardiff, Wales after receiving a standing ovation the previous night in the same city. His hits included "24 hours from Tulsa" and many more...

An amazing voice and songwriter- apparently more famous here in the UK than the US. He achieved new fame in 1990 when Marc Almond invited him to duet on his new version of Pitney's 60s hit "Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart"- it sold a million copies.

kisses xx

[Des]

I just saw this on the news. A sad day for the music industry.

Used to love that duet him and Marc Almond did together.:)

[david uk]

there's a message on marc's website with a promise of more to come

a sad day indeed

http://www.marcalmond.co.uk/boxoffice/news.htm

[Cardiffgal]

Love Gene Pitney. Still do, always will. So sad to see someone pass away so young. He was a great singer and a wonderful music man.

I hope he died knowing he was loved and with his boots on.

My prayers and sympahty to go this family, he leaves a wife and 3 sons.

[Randy & Betty in Pa]

The Loss of Gene Pitney is a great loss.... Reaching many.... I recieved this e-mail (as well as all others on Lou Christies mailing list) a short while ago....

"I can remember every show, every concert, every time I was with Gene Pitney. I stood in the wings and watched him sing some of the most unique songs of our time. I wanted to learn from the best. I'm sorry I won't see him again. Having a friend for 43 years...it's hard to say good-bye.

Lou Christie
April 5, 2006"

This is a sad day....

Best to all... R.I.P Mr. Pitney

R. & B. from Pa

[NinasSpaceChild]

It was such a shock. Right in the middle of a tour too.

It was a surreal moment for me.

I was in the kitchen at work serving the evening meal and i heard the news come on the radio. At first I thought they were talking about Andy Williams for some reason. I thought 'well he had a long life really, and a lot of success' but still felt sad.

I went into the dining room and asked one of the old ladies if she had heard the news and she said "Oh you mean about Gene Pitney dying?" and then went on to tell me the whole story.

He was so young at 65.

God Bless.

[Bryan]

The only Gene Pitney I have in my collection is OLCBAH, on a compilation of Burt Bacharach compositions. Gene's was not a name heard often in the pop world in years, but he had a pretty impressive body of work when you add it all up.

[Dee]

Gene Pitney died of natural causes: police
Thu Apr 06

LONDON (Reuters) - An autopsy on singer Gene Pitney, who was found dead in a hotel room in the Welsh capital Cardiff on Wednesday morning, showed he died of natural causes, police said on Thursday.

Pitney, 65, who shot to fame in the 1960s with hits including "24 Hours from Tulsa," died after having given a concert the previous night that had won him a standing ovation.

"The post mortem results show Gene Pitney died of natural causes and there will not be a police investigation," a spokesman for South Wales police said.

He added the body of the singer had been released to relatives and will be flown to the United States.

Pitney, who had a string of hit records as well as writing songs recorded by other stars, toured regularly throughout his long career and was in the middle of a 23-show tour of Britain when he died.

http://ca.entertainment.yahoo.com/main/s/06042006/6/entertainment-gene-pitney-died-natural-causes-police.html

[david uk]

here's the full text of Marc Almond's tribute- printed in the national press today

Goodbye Gene Genius
As a kid I remember watching on our small black and white television the pop-shows of the sixties - 'Ready Steady Go', 'Thank Your Lucky Stars' and those beloved TV music specials that proved so popular in that period.

I particularly loved the distinctive, charismatic singers of the Big Ballads, of which Gene Pitney was one of the greatest. I wanted to be a singer like him and sing those songs of lost chances, loneliness, redemption and the triumph of love. Songs that had huge orchestrations, sweeping strings and almost perfect production values - full of emotion and drama.

Many years later, in the late eighties I was recording the song 'Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart', for my album, a song originally made famous by Gene Pitney. I had decided to record it after seeing Gene perform it live one night at a concert in London's East End. I asked him if he would duet on it with me and to my utter amazement he accepted. So there it was, Gene Pitney guesting on one of his biggest hits that was now being sung by a fan.

It was a mad idea but it worked - Gene loved it as much as I did and perhaps one of the oddest duets ever recorded came to be. Gene and I recorded our vocals separately due to prior commitments, Gene apparently stripping to the waist in the studio to give emotion full flight 'without restraint'.

We actually met for the first time in a neon junkyard just outside Las Vegas for the filming of the video. It was a magic moment, made all the more meaningful as Gene had won a large amount of money in the casino prior to leaving for the shoot (perhaps an omen of good luck for the record). I remember his warmth and immediate generosity of spirit, kind words and restrained professionalism.

The song became one of the biggest selling records of the year, number one in the UK for four weeks and an international hit.

It was during the promotional campaign that I came to know him best, able to share his sense of humour at some of the absurd and surreal TV shows across Europe that we found ourselves appearing on. How strange the twists of fate can be - he had influenced me decades earlier and now I had been able to bring him to a whole new audience, in some small way.

Over the ensuing years we had occasionally planned to perform together again, once for a Burt Bacharach tribute to sing Dusty Springfield's hit 'I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself' and, more recently, on Jools Holland's Hootenanny TV show. Unfortunately it was not to be on either occasion.

After my motorcycle crash he sent me touching messages, expressing his deep concern and wishing me a full recovery.

Our plans to perform together once more had always been something we would get round to eventually, we were both up for it, but it wasn't to be.

A unique and utterly distinctive voice, a great singer of stunning songs. He was charming, classy and incomparable. The voice and the songs will last forever. It was an honour to have been a part of his story and I am eternally grateful that he was part of mine. The late great Gene Pitney.

Marc Almond

[Cardiffgal]

I loved reading this.