Pitney 'died of natural causes' | Daily Mail Online Pitney 'died of natural causes' Last updated at 16:49 06 April 2006 A post mortem examination showed that singer Gene Pitney died of natural causes, police said today. A spokeswoman for South Wales Police said the results meant the body of Mr Pitney could be flown back to America where his funeral will be held. The 65-year-old, who was in the middle of a 23 date tour, was found dead in his room at the Hilton Hotel in Cardiff yesterday. The spokeswoman added that there would be no inquest opened or any further police inquiries into the death as the post mortem results indicated he had died of natural causes. "As soon as it (the death) was deemed to be non-suspicious, the matter was handed over to the coroner," said the spokeswoman. Pitney was staying at the Hilton Hotel in Cardiff following a successful concert at the city's St David's Hall venue on Tuesday night where he received a standing ovation. He was found in bed yesterday morning by Geoff Clennell, his former tour manager and long-term friend.

Mark Howes, Pitney's tour promoter, said: "I just understand that he was asleep in bed. "He was in bed in his pyjamas and there was no sign that he had struggled to get up or anything - that was what the paramedics told Geoff Clennell. "It seems he just passed away in his sleep." He added: "I just feel bad that his family are so far away." Mr Howes said arrangements will now be made to fly Pitney's body back to his home in Connecticut for tomorrow or the weekend. Fame Pitney rose to fame in the Sixties with hits including Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa and Town Without Pity. In 1989 he scored his first UK number one - and became a familiar name with a younger audience - with Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart, a duet with Marc Almond. In 2002 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Pitney leaves a wife and three children. Barbara Matthews, 59, of Leeds, used to run the singer's British fan club with her husband Howard and were close friends of Pitney.

The couple even travelled to Nashville in 2000 to support Pitney in a court case over his music rights. She said she was inundated with calls when news broke of Pitney's death. "We took around 100 calls yesterday," said Mrs Matthews. "The last one I took was around 3.30am this morning. It was a gentleman down in Limerick. "He had got so upset he had a couple of drinks and I don't think he knew what time it was. He was crying on the phone and he wanted to come to Leeds because he was so upset. "I had people in this country ringing me from London to Whitley Bay and I had calls from Texas and Hollywood." She added: "We had some really good times with Gene. He was a brilliant man and we became friends, not just fans. "When Howard fell ill with a brain haemorrhage in 2001, he would ring every weekend while he was in hospital and in rehabilitation.

That was just the man he was." BBC NEWS | UK | Wales | Heart disease killed Gene Pitney Heart disease killed Gene Pitney Singer-songwriter Gene Pitney had been a star since the 1960s Singer Gene Pitney's death at the age of 65 was caused by heart disease. Pitney, whose body was found in the Cardiff Hilton hotel last week, had hardening of the arteries, or coronary artery atherosclerosis. His death certificate revealed his condition as a book of condolence was opened at Cardiff's St David's Hall, where he had made his last performance. He was found in his room on Wednesday morning after a standing ovation at St David's Hall the night before. 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 Lord mayor Freda Salway Pitney, whose hits included Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa, had played to 1,100 fans in Cardiff in the middle of a 23-date UK tour. Fans said he had shown no sign of ill health as he chatted with the audience, and read out dedications between songs.

His management company are making arrangements for his body to be flown back to the United States for his funeral. His death certificate shows his occupation as singer/songwriter and gives his home address in Somers, Connecticut. He was identified by Geoffrey Clennell, of Hainault, Essex, his former tour manager and friend. The book is open at Cardiff's St David's Hall for the rest of the week It was Mr Clennell who found Pitney dead in his hotel room, fully clothed after lying down after his show. The book of condolence was opened in the foyer on Friday and more than 120 people signed in the first two days. Cardiff lord mayor Freda Salway, who was the first to sign, said: "I was extremely saddened to hear about the death of Gene Pitney. "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. "I know that he had many Welsh fans and his performances were always enthusiastically received.

"I wanted to pay my respects by signing this book of condolence, which I know will reflect just how fondly thought of Gene was in Cardiff." St David's Hall house manager Gareth Griffiths said: "People are going up to it and signing it all the time. It seems to have quite a lot of attention." "He was a mainstay of our calendar for the past decade or so. He was here every two years." The book will remain open for the rest of the week. This Day In Music History: April 5th - Rock My World Rock My World This Day In Music History: April 5th Pharrell April 5th: On this day 1955, Ray Charles married his second wife Della Beatrice Howard Robinson; the couple had three children and divorced in 1977. 1962, The Beatles performed at The Cavern Club in Liverpool as part of a special night presented by the Beatles’ fan club. The Beatles wear their black leather outfits for the first half of the performance, for old time’s sake, then change into their new suits for the second half of the show.

1967, Monkees fans walked from London’s Marble Arch to the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square to protest Davy Jones’ planned call-up. Jones was exempted because he was deemed responsible for supporting his father. 1968, The first date of a twice-nightly UK tour featuring, Amen Corner, Gene Pitney, Status Quo, Simon Dupree & The Big Sound and Don Partridge kicked off at The Odeon Theatre, Lewisham, London. 1972, Elvis Presley kicked of a 15 date US tour at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York. 1975, Minnie Riperton went to No.1 on the US singles chart with the Stevie Wonder produced song ‘Loving You’ (a No.2 hit in the UK). It was the singers only US chart hit. Riperton died of cancer on 12th July 1979. 1978, Duran Duran made their live debut at The Lecture Theatre, Birmingham Polytechnic. 1980, Genesis scored their first UK No.1 album when ‘Duke’ went to the top of the charts. 1980, R.E.M.

played their first ever gig when they appeared at St Mary’s Episcopal Church, Athens, Georgia. 1981, Canned Heat singer Bob “The Bear” Hite died of a heart attack aged 36. (1970 UK No.2 & US No.26 single ‘Let’s Work Together’). Played at both the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival and the 1969 Woodstock Festival. 1983, Danny Rapp, leader of 50’s group Danny and the Juniors committed suicide in a hotel in Arizona by shooting himself. (1958 US No.1 & UK No.3 single ‘At The Hop’). 1984, Marvin Gaye’s funeral took place at The Forest Lawn Cemetery, Los Angeles; Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Berry Gordy and other Motown singers, writers and producers, attended the service. 1985, At 3:50pm GMT, over 5,000 radio stations worldwide aired the charity single by USA for Africa ‘We Are The World’. The single went on to be a No.1 in the US & UK, and most Western territories.

1985, UK Channel 4 music show The Tube aired a two-hour end of series special featuring UB40, Alison Moyet, Style Council, The Pogues, Spandau Ballet, Frankie Goes To Hollywood and Bronski Beat. 1994, Kurt Cobain committed suicide by shooting himself in the head at his home in Seattle. Cobain’s body wasn’t discovered until April 8, by an electrician who had arrived to install a security system, who initially believed that Cobain was asleep, until he saw the shotgun pointing at his chin. A suicide note was found that said, “I haven’t felt the excitement of listening to as well as creating music, along with really writing . . . for too many years now”. A high concentration of heroin and traces of Valium were found in Cobain’s body. His death was officially ruled as suicide by a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head. 1995, Monika Dannerman, the one time girlfriend of Jimi Hendrix committed suicide, two days after losing a court battle with another of the guitarist’s ex-lovers.

1997, The Chemical Brothers went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Block Rockin Beats.’ Taken from their second album Dig Your Own Hole the song won a Grammy award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. 1998, British drummer Cozy Powell (Colin Flooks) was killed when his car smashed into crash barriers on the M4 motorway near Bristol, England. Powell had worked with the Jeff Beck Group, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Brian May, Peter Green and the ELP spin-off Emerson, Lake, and Powell. Powell, known as one of the most driving drummers in rock, had also had hits as a solo artist, including Dance WithThe Devil and The Man In Black, and had fronted his own band, Cozy Powell’s Hammer. 1998, The Spice Girls performed their first ever-live UK concert when they appeared in front of a 9,000 strong audience in Glasgow, Scotland. 2003, Paul McCartney kicked off the UK leg of his ‘Back In The World Tour’ at Hallam FM Arena a year after it began in America. The set included 22 Beatles songs.

2006, Marion “Suge” Knight staved off receivership by seeking bankruptcy protection for himself and his music label, Death Row Records. The record producer had been ordered to pay more than $100m (£57m) to a former associate who said she had helped start the record label in 1989. Lawyers for Mr Knight said he did not have the money to pay the judgement, and was forced to seek federal protection. The label helped launch the careers of rappers such as Snoop Doggy Dogg. 2006, Gene Pitney was found dead aged 65 in his bed in a Cardiff hotel. The American singer was on a UK tour and had shown no signs of illness. Pitney helped The Rolling Stones break the American market with his endorsement of the band. Jagger and Richards wrote his hit ‘That Girl Belongs to Yesterday’ which became the Stones duo’s first composition to reach the American charts. He scored the 1962 US No.4 single ‘Only Love Can Break A Heart’.

and 1967 solo UK No.5 & 1989 UK No.1 single with Marc Almond ‘Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart’, plus over 15 other US & UK Top 40 hits. 2007, Former KISS guitarist Mark St. John died from an apparent brain haemorrhage at the age of 51. St. John was Kiss’ third official guitarist, having replaced Vinnie Vincent in 1984 and appeared on the album ‘Animalize’. 2008, Apple’s iTunes overtook supermarket group Wal-Mart to become the largest music retailer in the US. Market research firm NPD said iTunes surpassed Wal-Mart in January and February if 12 downloads are considered equal to the sale of one CD album. iTunes had sold more than four billion songs since its launch in 2003. 2008, Lady GaGa started a four week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘The Fame’ the American singers debut album.

2011, A statue in tribute to Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain was unveiled in his hometown of Aberdeen, Washington, The unveiling marked the 17th anniversary of Cobain’s death, which occurred on April 5, 1994. The statue designed by local artists Kim and Lora Malakoff was of his signature Fender Jag-Stang guitar. The concrete guitar was eight and a half feet tall and also featured a ribbon with lyrics written on it from Nirvana’s ‘On a Plain’. It reads: “One more special message to go and then I’m done and I can go home.” 2012, Jim Marshall, who made rock ’n’ roll rawer and noisier by inventing the Marshall amplifier died at a hospice in London, aged 88. His amplifiers and speakers known as ‘Marshall stacks’ were used by Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and almost every other major rock guitarist in the ’60s and ’70s and by the next generation of guitarists as well, including Kurt Cobain, Eddie Van Halen and Slash.

2013, Mark Knopfler cancelled two shows in Russia in protest over what he called the country’s “crackdown” on human rights groups. The former Dire Straits frontman pulled out of the gigs in June after Russian authorities searched the offices of organisations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Critics said the raids were an attempt to crush government dissent. April 5th: Born on this day 1928, Born on this day, Tony Williams, The Platters, (1959 UK & US No.1 single ‘Smoke Gets In Your Eyes’). Died on 14th August 1992. 1929, Born on this day, Joe Meek, producer. Shot himself dead on 3rd February 1967 after killing his landlady. Produced ‘Telstar’ the 1962 UK and US No.1 single by The Tornadoes. The first British act to have a No.1 in the US. Also produced hits for John Leyton and The Honeycombs. 1935, Born on this day, Peter Grant, manager of Led Zeppelin.

Died from a heart attack on 21st Nov 1995 aged 60. Known as being one of the shrewdest and most ruthless managers in rock history, Grant secured 90% of concert gate money and intimidated record store owners who dealt in bootlegs. The former wrestler also worked as a film extra and bodyguard. During the early 60s Grant worked as a tour manager for Bo Diddley, The Everly Brothers, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent and The Animals. 1939, Born on this day, Ronnie White, The Miracles, (1970 UK & US No.1 single with Smokey Robinson, ‘The Tears Of A Clown’). 1941, Born on this day, Dave Swarbick, Fairport Convention, UK folk group, (1969 UK No.21 single ‘Si Tu Dois Partir’).

1942, Born on this day, Alan Clarke, vocals, The Hollies, (over 25 top 40 hits, 1972 US No.2 single ‘Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress’), 1988 UK No.1 single ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’, first released in 1969. 1944, Born on this day, Nicholas Caldwell, The Whispers, (1980 UK No.2 & US No.19 single ‘And The Beat Goes On’). 1948, Born on this day, Dave Holland, drummer, Judas Priest. 1950, Born on this day, Agnetha Faltskog, vocals, ABBA (first UK hit 1974 No.1 ‘Waterloo’, followed by eight other UK No.1 singles and 9 UK No.1 albums, 1977 US No.1 single ‘Dancing Queen’). 1951, Born on this day, Everton Morton, The Beat, (1983 UK No.3 single ‘Can’t Get Used To Losing You”).

1954, Born on this day, Stan Ridgeway, Wall Of Voodoo, solo, (1986 UK No.4 single ‘Camouflage’). 1961, Born on this day, Jacob Slichter, drummer, with Semisonic had hits with ‘Secret Smile’, ‘Closing Time’ and ‘Chemistry’. 1965, Born on this day, Mike McCready, guitarist, and one of the founding members of Pearl Jam who had the 1992 UK No.15 single Jeremy, the 1993 US No.1 and UK No.2 album Vs and the 1994 US No.1 and UK No.4 album Vitalogy. McCready also has the side project bands Temple of the Dog, Mad Season and The Rockfords. 1968, Born on this day, Paula Cole, US singer, (1997 UK No.15 single, ‘Where Have All The Cowboys Gone”). 1973, Born on this day, Pharrell Williams, one half of the writing duo, The Neptunes (with Chad Hugo).

Produced numerous No.1 hits for Mystikal, Jay-Z, NSYNC, Britney Spears, Nelly. 2003 US No.1 album ‘The Neptunes Present Clones’. Featured on the 2013 worldwide hit ‘Blurred Lines’ with Robin Thicke. 1975, Born on this day, American rapper, songwriter and record producer, Juicy J, (Jordan Michael Houston), founding member of the Southern hip hop group Three 6 Mafia. He featured on the 2014 US Katy Perry No.1 hit ‘Dark Horse’. Photos: Getty "POP LEGEND DIES IN HOTEL; Gene Pitney Is Found in Cardiff Hilton by Friend" - The Evening Standard (London, England), April 5, 2006 | Online Research Library: Questia Byline: TOM TEODORCZUK POP STAR Gene Pitney was found dead today in a Cardiff hotel room. The 65-year-old singer was coming to the end of a sellout UK tour and last night received a standing ovation at the city's St David's Hall.

He rose to fame in the Sixties with Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa and had a No1 British hit in 1989 with Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart with Marc Almond. Mark Howes of Pitney's management company said he was found in his bed at the Cardiff Hilton by his tour manager, a friend of the singer for more than 30 years. Mr Howes said: "He did a good show last night. 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." Wendy Brown, house manager at St David's Hall, said: "I'm absolutely devastated. We were chatting away like old friends last night and now he's gone. I can't believe it. He rattled through the show and went from one great song to another - he didn't come up for air. It was his Standing ovation- then hours later he was dead best performance in the half-adozen times I've seen him. He looked great and his performances were magic.

"At the end of the show he received a standing ovation from the audience." In an interview at Christmas Pitney spoke of his excitement at taking his show around Britain on a 23-date tour which was due to end later this month. He denied it was a gruelling schedule, saying: "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." He is survived by his wife Lynne and three sons who live in his native Connecticut. A spokesman for South Wales police said: "We've had a report of a death. It is not believed to be suspicious. "We had the call just before 10.10am. The body, which has not been formally identified yet, was found at the Hilton Hotel in Cardiff." A spokesman for the Cardiff coroner said: "We are aware of his death and are awaiting a report from the police. It is too early yet to say whether we will hold an inquest.

… Subscribe to Questia and enjoy: Full access to this article and over 10 million more from academic journals, magazines, and newspapers Over 83,000 books Gene Pitney | The Economist Gene Pitney, singer and songwriter, died on April 5th, aged 65 Apr 12th 2006 Tweet AGEING pop-singers are not meant to die. The waist thickens and the lush dark hair turns white; the tan grows more improbable, the trouser legs more short; yet the voice, given a bit of a run at them, can still reach those high notes, and the warbling now comes smoky with experience. There may be no hopes left of chart appearances, but an audience can still be found, climbing slowly out of the tour buses into one or another sherbet-coloured theatre in Branson, Missouri. Gene Pitney never inhabited one of Branson's living mausoleums. Well past middle age he trod the boards in Europe, mostly in Britain, taking his ancient hits to the likes of Peterborough, Birmingham and Glasgow. He died unexpectedly in Cardiff, of heart disease, after another sell-out show.

Why Mr Pitney, an all-American boy, was so much more popular in Britain than in America is difficult to say. Sheer contrast had something to do with it. Mr Pitney hit the pop-music scene at the same glorious moment as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones; but where the Beatles were all Mersey jauntiness and the Stones strutting London rudeness, Mr Pitney offered the wailing of disappointed teenage love from a strange, distant land. “Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa” (1963), his greatest hit in Britain, fell on ears that had no very clear idea where Tulsa was. As in “Wichita Lineman” and “Do you Know the Way to San José?”, half the song's drama came from its evocation of America as a land of highways, plains and (broken) dreams. The lyrics, too, painted a picture worthy of a James Dean movie, and sung like one.

I saw a welcoming light And stopped to rest for the night And that is when I saw her As I pulled in outside of a small motel, She was there and so I walked up to her Asked where I could get something to eat and she showed me Where Mr Pitney's appearance gave credibility to the poor traveller's tale. He was improbably clean-cut and besuited even for the time, with brooding brows and a pained, naive expression. You could well believe that he had been born in Hartford, Connecticut, the home of insurance, had studied electrical engineering and, in his spare time, had painstakingly trapped and stuffed racoons. He had also sung in the church choir. Clearly he was shy and good, and the world was hell to him. But he was not as shy as all that. He was writing songs and singing them from an early age, and hawking them where he could. Some say he was spotted by an agent at a seminal concert by Gene and the Genials in Rockville, Connecticut, in 1959 or so.

Others remember him going, with a greased-up pompadour and a bag of demo tapes, to knock on doors on Broadway, where Burt Bacharach and Hal David eventually adopted him. “Tulsa” was one of their songs, as was “Only Love can Break a Heart”, Mr Pitney's biggest hit in the United States. The combination of Mr David's dramatic words, Mr Bacharach's wistful melodies and Mr Pitney's tear-filled tremolos was powerful stuff. Unlike a Rolling Stone Asked to sum up Mr Pitney, critics found it difficult. His music ranged all over rock, pop and country, and merged them together. His voice, though pretty good, was also “heart-stopping”, “panic-stricken” or “like a kid pulling a wagon across a gravel road”. He was as famous for writing songs for others (“Rubber Ball” for Bobby Vee, “He's a Rebel” for the Crystals) as for recording them himself.

His admirers credited him with large influence, from bringing Indian music to the notice of the Beatles, to encouraging Phil Spector towards his “Wall of Sound” period, to providing the model for David Bowie's odd sounds and manners as Ziggy Stardust. He had some claim to have done all this. Most remarkably, he moved at the highest levels of the pop charts in the 1960s without melting down, by the end of the decade, in a blur of LSD and flowers. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Marianne Faithfull were his friends, and his recording of the Jagger/Richards song “That Girl Belongs to Yesterday” helped to get the Stones known in the States; but in that maelstrom Mr Pitney remained his small-town self. He provided some frenzied maracas for the Stones' cover of “Not Fade Away” and some company for Ms Faithfull, but (it was said) of a gentlemanly kind. This was rather typical. Away from the stage he liked to fish, or just to look at water.

As a teenager he would drive out of Rockville five miles to Walkers Reservoir, sit there for hours in his candy-apple red Ford coupé, and write songs. In later years he disappeared so frequently from the American scene that he was often assumed to be dead, or living as a recluse in the woods somewhere. In Glasgow, Peterborough and Cardiff they knew different: Mr Pitney's voice, one of the stranger instruments ever heard in pop music, swooping and aching through three octaves, was still ringing round them.

Oh I was only 24 hours from Tulsa Ah, only one day away from your arms Next in The world this week X Next in The world this week X Next in Middle East and Africa X Next in Middle East and Africa X Next in Middle East and Africa X Next in Middle East and Africa X Next in Finance and economics X Next in Finance and economics X Next in Finance and economics X Next in Finance and economics X Next in Finance and economics X Next in Finance and economics X Next in Science and technology X Next in Science and technology X Next in Science and technology X Next in Books and arts X Next in Books and arts X Next in Books and arts X Next in Books and arts X Next in Books and arts X Next in Books and arts X Next in Books and arts X Next in Economic and financial indicators X Next in Economic and financial indicators X Next in Economic and financial indicators X Next in Economic and financial indicators X Next in Economic and financial indicators X Next in Economic and financial indicators X Next in Economic and financial indicators X Next in Economic and financial indicators X Next in Economic and financial indicators X Pitney died of natural causes | London Evening Standard Pitney died of natural causes Wednesday 5 April 2006 23:00 BST Click to follow ES

 Entertainment Sudden death: Gene Pitney A post mortem examination showed that singer Gene Pitney died of natural causes, police said today A spokeswoman for South Wales Police said the results meant the body of Mr Pitney could be flown back to America where his funeral will be held.

The 65-year-old, who was in the middle of a 23 date tour, was found dead in his room at the Hilton Hotel in Cardiff yesterday. The spokeswoman added that there would be no inquest opened or any further police inquiries into the death as the post mortem results indicated he had died of natural causes. "As soon as it (the death) was deemed to be non-suspicious, the matter was handed over to the coroner," said the spokeswoman. Pitney was staying at the Hilton Hotel in Cardiff following a successful concert at the city's St David's Hall venue on Tuesday night where he received a standing ovation. He was found in bed yesterday morning by Geoff Clennell, his former tour manager and long-term friend. Mark Howes, Pitney's tour promoter, said: "I just understand that he was asleep in bed. "He was in bed in his pyjamas and there was no sign that he had struggled to get up or anything - that was what the paramedics told Geoff Clennell.

"It seems he just passed away in his sleep." He added: "I just feel bad that his family are so far away." Mr Howes said arrangements will now be made to fly Pitney's body back to his home in Connecticut for tomorrow or the weekend. Pitney rose to fame in the Sixties with hits including Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa and Town Without Pity. In 1989 he scored his first UK number one - and became a familiar name with a younger audience - with Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart, a duet with Marc Almond. In 2002 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Pitney leaves a wife and three children. Barbara Matthews, 59, of Leeds, used to run the singer's British fan club with her husband Howard and were close friends of Pitney. The couple even travelled to Nashville in 2000 to support Pitney in a court case over his music rights. She said she was inundated with calls when news broke of Pitney's death. "We took around 100 calls yesterday," said Mrs Matthews. "The last one I took was around 3.30am this morning.

It was a gentleman down in Limerick. "He had got so upset he had a couple of drinks and I don't think he knew what time it was. "He was crying on the phone and he wanted to come to Leeds because he was so upset. "I had people in this country ringing me from London to Whitley Bay and I had calls from Texas and Hollywood." She added: "We had some really good times with Gene. He was a brilliant man and we became friends, not just fans. "When Howard fell ill with a brain haemorrhage in 2001, he would ring every weekend while he was in hospital and in rehabilitation. "That was just the man he was." More about: "Sixties Singing Star Dies during UK Tour" - The Journal (Newcastle, England), April 6, 2006 | Online Research Library: Questia Article excerpt Byline: By Geoff Meade The music world was last night mourning Gene Pitney, who died days before he was due to appear in Newcastle. The American star was found dead in his hotel room in Cardiff yesterday. He was on a 23-date tour of the UK.

(Wednesday)The 65-year-old had been due to appear at Newcastle's City Hall on Tuesday. About 1,200 tickets had been sold. Pitney rose to fame in the Sixties with hits including Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa and Town Without Pity. He played Cardiff's St David's Hall on Tuesday night, where he was given a standing ovation. His death came as a shock to friends. Singer Marc Almond said: "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 was a great, unique singer of great, unique songs. Today is a sad day." Pitney was found in his room at the Cardiff Hilton by friend Geoff Clennell. Tour manager James Kelly said: "We don't have a cause of death at the moment, but it looks like it was a very peaceful passing. "He was found fully-clothed, on his back, as if he had gone for a lie-down.

"It looks as if there was no pain whatsoever, which is nice." He added: "Last night was generally one of the happiest and most exuberant performances we've seen out of him. "He was absolutely on top of his game and was really happy with the show." Pitney had been due to play Colston Hall in Bristol last night. Tour promoter Mark Howse said: "I last spoke to him on Sunday after the show at Symphony Hall in Birmingham. … Subscribe to Questia and enjoy: Full access to this article and over 10 million more from academic journals, magazines, and newspapers Over 83,000 books Access to powerful writing and research tools Article details Subscribe to Questia and enjoy: Full access to this article and over 10 million more from academic journals, magazines, and newspapers Over 83,000 books Access to powerful writing and research tools Article details Pop legend dies in hotel | London Evening Standard Pop legend dies in hotel Tuesday 4 April 2006 23:00 BST Click to follow ES Entertainment Gene Pitney was found dead in his Cardiff hotel room. Pop star Gene Pitney was found dead today in a Cardiff hotel room.

The 65-year-old singer was coming to the end of a sellout UK tour and last night received a standing ovation at the city's St David's Hall. He rose to fame in the Sixties with Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa and had a No1 British hit in 1989 with Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart with Marc Almond. Mark Howes of Pitney's management company said he was found in his bed at the Cardiff Hilton by his tour manager, a friend of the singer for more than 30 years. Mr Howes said: "He did a good show last night. 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." Wendy Brown, house manager at St David's Hall, said: "I'm absolutely devastated. We were chatting away like old friends last night and now he's gone. I can't believe it. "He rattled through the show and went from one great song to another - he didn't come up for air. It was his best performance in the half-adozen times I've seen him. He looked great and his performances were magic.

At the end of the show he received a standing ovation from the audience." In an interview at Christmas Pitney spoke of his excitement at taking his show around Britain on a 23-date tour which was due to end later this month. He denied it was a gruelling schedule, saying: "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." He is survived by his wife Lynne and three sons who live in his native Connecticut. A spokesman for South Wales police said: "We've had a report of a death. It is not believed to be suspicious. "We had the call just before 10.10am. The body, which has not been formally identified yet, was found at the Hilton Hotel in Cardiff." A spokesman for the Cardiff coroner said: "We are aware of his death and are awaiting a report from the police. It is too early yet to say whether we will hold an inquest." Pitney's musical influence was far-reaching.

He had 11 Top 10 hits in this country including That Girl Belongs To Yesterday and Looking Thru The Eyes of Love. 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 Britain's Marty Wilde. He worked with the Rolling Stones and is credited with helping them find fame in the US. His 1963 hit Mecca is viewed by many pop historians as being a precursor to psychedelia in its use of Indian musical sounds, two years before the Beatles began to adopt Indian influences into their records. It has also been suggested that David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust persona was a reference to Pitney's flamboyant vocal range and mannerisms. In 2003, he recalled dropping in on a Rolling Stones session in the early Sixties. He said: "It was a very unique session... I had stopped in London for one day on the way home from Paris ... the session came off, a little bit drunken, the Not Fade Away session.

"Phil Spector showed up in a big black limo and I had to laugh because they give him credit for playing the maracas ... when he was playing an empty cognac bottle with an American half dollar, that was his instrument." In 2002, Pitney was inducted to the Rock'n'Roll hall of fame. More about: Gene Pitney; "The Rockville Rocket" The last song he sang...

When you're young and so in love as we And bewildered by the world we see Why do people hurt us so Only those in love would know What a town without pity can do If we stop to gaze upon a star People talk about how bad we are Ours is not an easy age We're like tigers in a cage What a town without pity can do The young have problems, many problems We need an understanding heart Why don't they help us, try and help us Before this clay and granite planet falls apart Take these eager lips and hold me fast I'm afraid this kind of joy can't last How can we keep love alive How can anything survive When those little minds tear you in two What a town without pity can do Take these eager lips and hold me fast I'm afraid this kind of joy can't last How can we keep love alive How can anything survive When those little minds tear you in two What a town without pity can do No it isn't very pretty What a town without pity can do Whoa, can do A great site from his friends, Brian and Sue Dench, on the "other side of the pond" They will miss Pitney 'like crazy'; pay tribute to 'small-town guy' By Jason Rowe, Journal Inquirer 

04/12/2006 Hundreds of Gene Pitneys family, friends, and fans pay their respects to the Hall of Famer on Tuesday at Somers Funeral Home in Somers.

(David Butler II for the Journal Inquirer) SOMERS- For "Wild" Wayne Jones, Gene Pitney's status as the top musical performer from Connecticut is unchallenged. "I don't think there is anyone who comes even close," said Jones, who has hosted an oldies music show on WWUH-FM91.3 for 30 years and devoted a two-hour program Sunday to the late singer. "We tried to show some of the diversity, how he did everything from doo-wop to country hits. He could do it all." Jones was among hundreds of mourners from around the country and even overseas who came to the Somers Funeral Home on Tuesday night to pay their respects to the family of the man known as the "Rockville Rocket." A funeral Mass for Pitney, who died last week during a month-long British concert tour, was to be celebrated today at All Saints Roman Catholic Church, with burial to follow in Somers Center Cemetery on Battle Street.

Pitney, 66, a Vernon native and inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was found dead in his hotel room in Cardiff, Wales, on April 5, only hours after performing a concert in the Welsh capital's St. David's Hall. British authorities attributed his death to natural causes. On Tuesday, friends, fans, and colleagues remembered Pitney fondly for the way his music, and his approach to his music, touched their lives. The originator of songs like "Town Without Pity," "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," and "Only Love Can Break a Heart," Pitney rose from his humble beginnings as a singer in a local band to international stardom. Among those paying respects Tuesday was Gary Rue, a Minneapolis resident who played in Pitney's U.S. and Canadian bands since the mid 1980s. Since 1988, Rue had served as Pitney's U.S. and Canadian music director, playing piano and cueing Pitney during his performances. Rue, 54, said Pitney, despite his successes, was always down to earth and easy to talk to. That combination helped the musicians in his band thrive, Rue said.

"It was like talking to your brother," Rue said. "It made you do your job well and we functioned within those parameters and we did it beautifully." Many of those who gathered Tuesday were still dealing with the shock of Pitney's sudden death. Once word of the singer's death became public, so many people logged on to Pitney's Web site for information that it crashed, said Dave McGrath, who was in charge of Pitney's tour merchandise and his international fan club. Pitney - McGrath's best friend - served as best man at McGrath's wedding in 1998. He recalled the times when crowds of 150 to 200 fans would attend fan club events in Great Britain, where Pitney had a huge following, to spend time with their favorite singer. McGrath said Pitney would spend personal time with each one of the fans who came. And McGrath also reflected on some of the projects that Pitney was working on that would not come to fruition. Among them was a long-planned Christmas album. "Gene never looked back," said McGrath, who came to Somers Tuesday from his home in Wisconsin. "The guy never talked about how great it was in the '60s.

He always looked forward." Pitney's friends and associates were not the only ones who made long trips for Tuesday's wake. Linda Mallory, a longtime fan, flew to Connecticut from Chicago to attend the Pitney services. Mallory said she had gone to 35 of Pitney's concerts during the past five years, the most recent coming in September. Although he didn't travel as far as some others, Bob Dellarocco of Enfield said he became a big fan of Pitney's while he was a boy during the early 1960s. Dellarocco, 50, was present at one of Pitney's last Connecticut performances, when he played a benefit concert at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Connecticut Community Care Inc. "He was a real legend in the business," said Dellarocco, who called news of Pitney's death shocking. "He was truly a great man." Although Tuesday's viewing was not scheduled to begin until 4 p.m., crowds began to gather at the Somers Funeral Home by 3 p.m. Several times during the evening, the line outside the funeral home stretched around the corner of the one-story, brick building.

Two state police officers were on hand to ensure an orderly flow of vehicular traffic on Route 190. Pitney's former musical colleagues were well represented, who talked of performing with the Rockville native before he became famous. Louis Clayton of Hartford, a member of the 5 Bell Aires, a group who sang backup with Pitney during the late 1950s and early 1960s, talked about Pitney's precise musical ability. Clayton recalled a time when the group was rehearsing and Pitney told them they sounded a bit flat. Not believing the future star at first, the Bell Aires watched as Pitney went over to the piano to demonstrate what he was hearing. "He was right, we were flat," Clayton said with a smile. Now an employee of the U.S. Postal Service in Hartford, Clayton said his colleagues didn't believe him when he told them he played with Pitney. But that changed once a biography about Pitney was published in 2004 and he was able to show his coworkers pictures of him and Pitney. "He was a damn good singer," Clayton said.

"He knew his music." Clayton and other members of the 5 Bell Aires reunited with Pitney at a concert at the Mohegan Sun in March 2003. Also at the reunion were members of Pitney's first band, The Genials, who were formed during the late 1950s while Pitney and the Genials were still students at Rockville High School. Bob Terry, who played guitar with The Genials, said he is still in shock over the sudden death of his childhood friend and musical collaborator. "He was always a presence in my life, but I didn't realize, until now, just how big that presence was," said Terry, who now lives in Coventry. "He was so powerful. He was so robust. He was in such good shape." And although he had achieved international fame, friends and colleagues said Pitney always loved returning to Connecticut, where he could spend private time with his wife, Lynne, and his three sons, Todd, Chris, and David. McGrath said Pitney was a devoted husband and father, who put his family before work. Sometimes, he would even bring Lynne and his family on tour with him.

Calling Lynne Pitney an "awesome woman," McGrath said the singer's family has a good support network surrounding them as they deal with the loss of their husband and father. Although he didn't talk specifically about Somers or Connecticut very often to him, Rue said he could understand why Pitney remained here. "He was the kind of guy who would be comfortable in a place liked this," Rue said. "Gene is a small-town guy." And while he demanded a lot of those who performed with him, Rue said, Pitney always delivered to his audiences. "Gene never did a bad show," Rue said, with a smile. "I'm going to miss him like crazy, the whole experience." ï¿½Journal Inquirer 2006 OBITUARY Gene Pitney, 66, of Somers and formerly of Rockville died on Wednesday, April 5, 2006, in Welsh Capital, Cardiff, UK. Gene was born on February 17, 1940, in Hartford, CT the son of the late Harold F. and Anna A. (Orlowski) Pitney. He was passionate about his work, but most of all he loved being home with his family.

He will be dearly missed, but will live on through his music. He is survived by his loving wife Lynne (Gayton) Pitney, his three sons, Todd, Chris and his wife Shannon, and David; his Akita, Gracie; two brothers Francis Pitney and Dennis Pitney; two sisters Shirley Stutz and Nancy Pike; several nieces and nephews. He also leaves his many close friends, associates and dedicated fans from around the world. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, April 12, 2006 at 11 am at All Saints Church, 25 School St., Somersville, CT. Please meet at the church. Gene will be laid to rest in Somers Center Cemetery. His family will receive relatives and friends during visiting hours from 4-9 pm on Tuesday, April 11, 2006 at the Somers Funeral Home, 354 Main St. (Rt. 190), Somers.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions in Genes memory may be made to either the Connecticut Public Broadcasting, 1049 Asylum Ave., Hartford, CT 06105 or to the Humane Society of the United States through their website: Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Small & Pietras Funeral Home 65 Elm St., Rockville, CT 06066. For online expressions of sympathy to the family please visit 01 His family's home in Rockville CT where he grew up. The following pictures show his hometown of Rockville. Just as he had "snow on his roof" as he got older. Rockville received an unusual snow fall over night into the morning. The Memorial Tower on Henry Park is similar to a rocket. It had snow on it's roof this sad day, perhaps in his honor? We'll miss you Gene! Click on the pictures to enlarge.

03 from the Journal Inquirer, originally the Rockville Inquirer World without Pitney: 'Rockville Rocket' dies By: Tom Breen and Jason Rowe, Journal Inquirer 04/05/2006 Gene Pitney, the Vernon native who gained international fame with a string of hit songs like "Town Without Pity" and "24 Hours From Tulsa," was found dead today at a hotel in Cardiff, Wales. He was 66. Pitney was in the middle of a 23-date touring schedule, playing a show in the United Kingdom almost every night for a month. He was found dead in his bed this morning after having played a show in Cardiff the night before, his tour manager told the Associated Press. "Last night was generally one of the happiest and most exuberant performances we've seen out of him," the manager, James Kelly, said. "He was absolutely on top of his game and was really happy with the show." No cause of death was immediately available, but a Cardiff police spokesman said Pitney's death was not suspicious. Pitney married his Rockville High School sweetheart, Lynne, in 1967, and they raised three sons in Somers.

Kathleen Devlin, a Somers selectwoman and friend of the family, remembered the singer fondly today, saying her own son had been treated like a member of the Pitney family. "He was very kind, very generous," she said. "He was a private man," Devlin added. "He loved his family and his children and wanted what was best for them." Pitney, who often recorded in a studio in his Somers home, told the Journal Inquirer last year that it was always a relief to come home after a long tour. "The best move I ever made was to stay here," he said. "It really is a beautiful place to live." Born in Hartford on Feb. 17, 1940, Pitney grew up on Hammond Street in the Rockville section of Vernon. At an early age, he began playing in bands with friends from school, eventually leading the band Gene and the Genials. Richard "Dick" Spurling and Robert "Bob" Terry, who both played in the five-member Genials, said they were shocked when they received word today that Pitney had died. It was Pitney and Spurling, a drummer, who joined together to plant the seeds of what would become the Genials.

Spurling, a childhood friend, said he could tell from an early age that Pitney had a special talent for music. Spurling, who now lives in Ellington, recalled a grade-school Christmas celebration, in which Pitney performed a striking version of "Silent Night." Even as they played with him in the band, Spurling said, the Genials were always mindful of Pitney's talents and wanted to help him succeed. "He was a brilliant guy, and he could have done anything he wanted to in his life," Spurling said. "It was a fun time." Terry said that while Pitney's work had a lasting impact on music around the world, that success never made the Vernon native lose touch with the people from his past. Terry, who played guitar in the Genials, said he had the opportunity to reunite with Pitney and Spurling during one of his performances at the Mohegan Sun in Montville a couple years ago. Both Terry and Spurling said they enjoyed the experience of seeing Pitney and talking about their past experiences, which included lugging band members and equipment around in a small 1930s coupe.

Terry said he was always struck by the way Pitney demanded excellence from himself while he was on stage. "He was so demanding of perfection in what he did," said Terry, a Coventry resident and a retired teacher at Cheney Technical High School in Manchester. "He never let up on getting it right and the people who worked with him, knew this." Still, Terry said, Pitney always had an approachable and friendly demeanor. "He was a very serious guy, but a nice guy," Terry said. As a young man, Pitney was nicknamed "The Rockville Rocket" by a local radio disc jockey, a moniker that stayed with him throughout his career. He first became prominent not as a performer, but as a songwriter. When he was barely out of his teens, he wrote "Hello Mary Lou" for Rick Nelson and "Rubber Ball" for Bobby Vee. He became famous in his own right, though, for a string of remarkable, well-crafted songs that showed off his range and ability as a singer.

The songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote a number of compositions for Pitney, including "Only Love Can Break a Heart," "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," and "24 Hours From Tulsa." Although Pitney never had a No. 1 hit in the U.S., "Only Love Can Break a Heart" reached No. 2 in 1962. Ironically, Pitney kept himself off the top of the charts, since the Crystals' rendition of "He's a Rebel," which Pitney had written, was No. 1 at the time. Pitney shared a publicist with the Rolling Stones, and in 1964 sat in on a recording session that produced their hit "Not Fade Away." Pitney, in fact, recorded the first composition by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards to reach the American charts, with "That Girl Belongs to Yesterday." As the 1960s wore on and British Invasion groups displaced American singers from the charts in the U.S., Pitney found fame in Britain and continental Europe that lasted throughout his life. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Pitney avoided the oldies revival circuit, thanks to his European success.

He even had a No. 1 hit in Great Britain in 1989 with "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart," a duet with former Soft Cell singer Marc Almond. In 2002, Darlene Love, who sang on "He's a Rebel," inducted Pitney into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Last June, Pitney performed at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford in a benefit concert to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Connecticut Community Care Inc. In an interview conducted days before that show, Pitney told the Journal Inquirer that he was looking forward to returning to the Bushnell, where he had last performed in the early 1960s. He also talked about his upcoming tour, which included stops at the Mohegan Sun and in Palm Beach, Las Vegas, and Pennsylvania before he was scheduled to begin the European leg of the tour last month. During that interview, Pitney talked about his personal stamina, noting that he was doing some of the longest shows of his career.

Pitney credited his spending three days a week with a personal trainer for allowing him to perform longer than an hour in recent years, whereas 45-minute performances used to take all of his energy. "I'm doing the best shows now that I've ever done in my career," Pitney said. ï¿½Journal Inquirer 2006 In late January or early February, Gene Pitney, perhaps the single most famous Rockville native alive today, is scheduled to appear on Tolland County Economy, a 30-minute talk show on the Community Voice Channel 5 on Comcast cable. During the show, host Drew Crandall will interview The Rockville Rocket on his roots, his lifetime career in entertainment, the business side of his career, opportunities seized, challenges faced, how hes doing today, why he continued to live in Tolland County, and what his dreams may be for the future. After more than thirty years in show business, Gene Pitney is still a pop superstar with millions of fans around the world.

A long and winding road has taken Gene from his humble beginnings in Rockville to the high-profile stages of the worlds greatest cities: Carnegie Hall in New York, the Palladium in London, and the Opera House in Sydney. For exact broadcast day and time, please call Crandall at 871- 6500 or visit Breaking news: Gene Pitney has died during his UK tour. Breaking news: Gene Pitney has died during his UK tour. Breaking news: Gene Pitney has died during his UK tour. Blackleaf Gene Pitney dies on tour By LACHLAN CARTWRIGHT THE entertainment world was in mourning today following the death of legendary singer Gene Pitney. The 65-year-old American star died in the middle of his UK tour. He will be best remembered for the hits Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa and Somethingï¿½s Gotten Hold Of My Heart. A spokesman for South Wales Police said: ï¿½Weï¿½ve had a report of a death this morning. It is not believed to be suspicious. ï¿½We had the call just before 10.10am.

The body, which has not been formally identified yet, was found at the Hilton Hotel in Cardiff.ï¿½ Pitney had played the cityï¿½s St Davidï¿½s Hall last night. His death came as a shock to friends, who said he had appeared in good health. Pitneyï¿½s tour manager James Kelly said: "We donï¿½t have a cause of death at the moment but it looks like it was a very peaceful passing." ï¿½He was found fully-clothed, on his back, as if he had gone for a lie-down. ï¿½It looks as if there was no pain whatsoever, which is nice. ï¿½Last night was generally one of the happiest and most exuberant performances weï¿½ve seen out of him. ï¿½He was absolutely on top of his game and was really happy with the show. ï¿½I got the news a couple of hours ago and Iï¿½m flabbergasted.ï¿½ Tour promoter Mark Howse said: ï¿½I last spoke to him on Sunday after the show at Symphony Hall in Birmingham. He was very well and was enjoying the tour.

ï¿½He was talking about the next time he was coming over to Britain as he said this was the best tour he had done for a number of years.ï¿½ He added: ï¿½Itï¿½s terrible news and Iï¿½m still shaking. ï¿½I just canï¿½t believe it. There was no indication anything was wrong. Itï¿½s terribly sad. ï¿½It wasnï¿½t like a business relationship (with Gene) - he was a friend and that is why it has hit hard with everybody. ï¿½It was almost like he had a family going around with him. He was a really nice person.ï¿½ thesun.co.uk

Question: In which city was singer Gene Pitney found dead by his tour manager on April 5th, 2006 ?
Answer: CARDIFF