Portrait of singer Gene Pitney and his pregnant wife Lynne Gayton during a holiday in Italy, circa 1968. So, how much is Gene Pitney worth at the age of 66 years old? Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? He recorded a Bacharach and David song, Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa, which peaked at No. Gene Pitney, (born February 17, 1941, Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.died April 5, 2006, Cardiff, Wales), American singer and songwriter known for dramatic pop balladry. The duet outdid the original which could only make number 5 in 1967. "Only Love Can Break a Heart" was denied number 1 in the US charts by Pitney's own composition "He's a Rebel" sung by The Crystals. Written by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington, the song won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song, but lost to "Moon River". Though it shares a title with the John Wayne western, the song was not used in the film because of a publishing dispute. Discover Gene Pitney's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. The cause of his death was ascertained to be a heart attack. Pitney's early influences were Clyde McPhatter and doo-wop groups such as The Crows. He was the first pop singer to ever perform at the Oscar's and it helped to significantly raise his profile in the US. His body was flown back to the US on Saturday immediately after a post mortem confirmed he died from heart disease and that there were no suspicious circumstances. Gene Pitney's wife Was Lynne Pitney. Clipping found in The Bridgeport Post in Bridgeport, Connecticut on Jan 26, 1967. Pitney's popularity in the UK market was ensured by the breakthrough success of "Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa", a Bacharach and David song, which peaked at No. Gene's profile was very good outside of the US and UK as well. Governor Jodi Rell also declared September 20, 2007, as Gene Pitney Day in the state of Connecticut. He still appeared regularly on UK charts till 1974. Pitney's biggest hits included Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa, Town Without Pity and Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart, on which he duetted with Marc Almond. It reached the Top 40 in US and Britain. Gene's first foray into the music scene was as part of a duet with Ginny Arnell, their first song being 1959's "Classical Rock & Roll. Gene Pitney (Gene Francis Alan Pitney) was born on 17 February, 1940 in Hartford, Connecticut, USA, is a Soundtrack, Actor. He followed up in December with "Half Heaven, Half Heartache", which reached No. "Together we had one of the biggest hits of 1989 with Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart and it was an honour to have worked with him," he said. His zodiac sign is Aquarius. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. American singing legend Gene Pitney died of natural causes, a post-mortem examination has confirmed. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Overall, Gene had 16 top 40 hits in the US and an amazing 40 top 40 songs in the UK. He recorded a Bacharach and David song, Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa, which peaked at No. In Italy, his song Nessuno mi pu giudicare became a sensational hit, and he finished second in the countrys annual Sanremo Music Festival twice. 2011-04-11 01:33:42. He recorded albums with country greats like George Jones and Melba Montgomery and was quite successful. With limited success as an artist, Gene began to find more success as a songwriter. With his popularity now firmly established in the US and growing in the UK Gene began to churn the hits out with amazing regularity. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. Gene Pitney's net worth Singer Gene Pitney (2L) playing guitar w. sons Todd (R) & David (2R), & wife Lynne (L) playing back-up instruments at home. He eventually gained fame as a singer when he recorded his self-penned song, I Wanna Love My Life Away. Gene Pitneys income source is mostly from being a successful Soundtrack. The cause of Gene Pitney's death at 65 has been confirmed. Burt Bacharach, who wrote Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa, called Pitney "a rare talent and a beautiful man". His streak of success continued through 1976 with songs like Down This Road, and Days of Summer. An autopsy found the cause of death to be a heart attack and that he had severely occluded coronary arteries. His wife is Lynne Gayton (28 January 1967 - 5 April 2006) ( his death) ( 3 children) Gene Pitney Net Worth His net worth has been growing significantly in 2020-2021. (Photo by Keystone Features/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Get personalized pricing by telling us when, where, and how you want to use this asset. Portrait of singer Gene Pitney and his pregnant wife Lynne Gayton during a holiday in Italy, circa 1968. At one point he had hits in Europe, the UK, and the US pop and country charts with four different songs simultaneously. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. The 66-year-old, who was found dead in his hotel room in Cardiff last week, was buried in Somers, Connecticut, after a service attended by friends, neighbours and lifelong fans. In the United Kingdom, he had 22 top 40 hits, and 11 singles in the top ten. He was a truly iconic figure in the world of music and we were extremely lucky in Cardiff that he visited this city many times to perform at St David's Hall. He loved music since his childhood and joined a band in high school. Early Life. Pitney, who was midway through a UK tour, was discovered in his bed at the Cardiff Hilton on Wednesday morning (April 5). Digital Spy participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. A book of condolences has since been opened in the city centre. In December the same year, his Half Heaven, Half Heartache reached No.12 on the Billboard chart. The real breakthrough for Gene came with the song "Town Without Pity" which was the title song to the movie of the same name. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Mr Howes told BBC Wales that everyone had been shocked by the death and there had been no signs that he was ill. "He did a good show last night at St David's Hall and it was wonderful," he said. 03:36 EST 13 Apr 2006 Lynne Gayton (28 January1967 - 5 April2006)( his death)( 3 children). His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Almond said he was "saddened and shocked" at the news. Gene's career as an artist in his own right began with the self-penned "I Wanna Love My Life Away" which he recorded for $30 at a small recording studio in New York. In 2002, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So, how much is Gene Pitney worth at the age of 66 years old? Gene Pitney was an American singer, songwriter, and sound engineer best known for his song Town Without Pity. Whether you like it or not you know when it is Gene. The song received a Golden Globe Award, reached the US top 20 and Gene also performed it at the Academy Awards. He was a great, unique singer of great, unique songs.. Whether you like it or not you know when it is Gene. Because of his success on the music charts, and as he explained to his friend, oldies DJ 'Wild' Wayne, an unknown radio disc jockey at the time gave Pitney the nickname 'The Rockville Rocket', which caught on. Almond said of his old singing colleague upon hearing of his death: It was an honour to have worked with him. He was the first pop singer to ever perform at the Oscar's and it helped to significantly raise his profile in the US.Following hot on the heels of "Town Without Pity" was "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". On April 5, 2006, during his UK tour, he was found dead in his hotel room in Cardiff, Wales. 17 on US Hot 100. Gene teamed up with Marc Almond to cover his sixties hit "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart". Especially in Italy where he came second in the San Remo song contest with the song "Nessuno Mi Puo Giudicare".He also recorded a number of his hits in Italian. The cause of Gene Pitney's death has been confirmed. Publicity Listings 1 in Germany, Finland, Switzerland and Ireland. They also collaborated in the production of the hit song "Days of Summer". Wed 5 Apr 2006 12.08 EDT The American singer-songwriter Gene Pitney, whose biggest hit was Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa, has been found dead in a hotel room in Cardiff, it was announced today.. Pitney - who found fame with Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa - was pronounced dead at the Hilton hotel. Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940[1][2] April 5, 2006)[3] was an American singer-songwriter and musician.[4]. Despite this the song was well received and it's mix of the pop and country genres worked extremely well. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. He was buried at Somers Center Cemetery in Somers, Connecticut. What was the cause of Gene Pitneys death? He attended Rockville High School where he formed his first band, Gene & the Genials. 1990 [10] Giving a performance of his track "You're the Reason", Pitney missed his cue and was seen "failing dismally to mime along in time to his backing track";[11] he continued with the song, and found humor in the incident. Sources include Joel Whitburn's Record Research material for the US Top 100, "Bubbling Under" and US Country charts; Tim Rice et al., Guinness Book of Hit Singles for the UK; CHUM Chart for Canada prior to mid-1964, and the Canadian RPM charts thereafter; and The Kent Report for Australia, Involvement with the Rolling Stones (1964), UK, Australian and European stardom (19661970s), Last edited on 19 February 2023, at 07:18, Gene Pitney Meets the Fair Young Ladies of Folkland, It Hurts to Be in Love and Eleven More Hit Songs, For the First Time! It won a Golden Globe Award and an Oscars nomination for the Best Song. Pitney performed the song at the Oscars ceremony on April 9, 1962. Record Covers More Record Covers Magazine or newspaper articles Memories Blog About Contact Gene Video's from Youtube. The Mick Jagger/Keith Richards song "That Girl Belongs to Yesterday" established his worldwide fame and he followed it up with "I'm Gonna be Strong", "Looking Through the Eyes of Love" (a million seller), "I Must be Seeing Things", "Princess in Rags", "Backstage", "Just One Smile", "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" and "Nobody Needs Your Love". [7] In the US, the single stalled at No. Gene Pitney's wife Lynne leads the mourners at his funeral, Gene Pitney had been touring in Wales when he died, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites, The songwriter who became a star in his own right. , updated (Orlowsky) siblings: Dennis Pitney, Francis Pitney children: Chris, David, Todd Born Country: United States Pop Musicians Lyricists & Songwriters Died on: April 5, 2006 place of death: Cardiff, Wales [10], At the height of his fame in 1967, Pitney married his childhood sweetheart, Lynne Gayton, and the couple had three sons, Todd, Chris, and David. Further success would come with Ricky Nelson recording "Hello Mary Lou" (a Top 5 in the US) and "He's a Rebel" for Phil Spector's group, The Crystals. It is awarded annually to Rockville High School. Born In: Hartford, Connecticut, United States. [13] It was re-aired on the 25th anniversary edition of This Morning in 2013, in which presenter Holly Willoughby "broke out into a cold sweat" while reliving the moment. The worlds defining voice in music and pop culture: breaking whats new and whats next since 1952. Musicor liked he song and didn't think it needed any "tweaking", releasing it exactly the way Pitney sent it to them. Two Great Stars - George Jones and Gene Pitney, "The Complete Works of the Rolling Stones 19622008", "Results RPM Library and Archives Canada", THE OFFICIAL "WILD" WAYNE WEBSITE Connecticut based nationally known Oldies Radio DJ & friend of Gene Pitney, Interview with Gene Pitney in International Songwriters Association's "Songwriter Magazine", concentrating on his songwriting career, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gene_Pitney&oldid=1140261202, "If I Didn't Have a Dime (To Play the Jukebox)", "I've Got Five Dollars and It's Saturday Night", "She Lets Her Hair Down (Early in the Morning)", This page was last edited on 19 February 2023, at 07:18. SELECT OPTIONS SAVE TO CART After high school, he studied electrical engineering while simultaneously focusing on music. Those recordings were not released until 1990. UK pianist Maurice Merry was his musical director from 1970 onwards. On April 5, 2006, during his UK tour, he was found dead in his hotel room in Cardiff, Wales. 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