Singer Gene Pitney dies after Wales show
American singer Gene Pitney, who shot to fame in the 1960s with hits including 24 hours from Tulsa, has died while on tour. Pitney, 65, died in the Welsh capital Cardiff where he had given a concert the day before. There was no immediate word on the cause of death. South Wales Police said they had been called to a hotel and that the death was not being treated as suspicious. His wife, Lynne, had been told of his death. Pitney also left three sons, David, Todd, and Chris. Tour manager James Kelly said he was stunned by the singer’s death. “I’ve never seen him so well,” he said. “He was absolutely buzzing and full of life.” He said Pitney had been found fully clothed on his hotel bed as if 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.
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