LONDON — American singer Gene Pitney, who shot to fame in the 1960s with hits including "24 Hours From Tulsa," has died while on tour in Britain, his agent said on Wednesday.
Jene Levy said Pitney, 65, was found dead Wednesday morning in the Welsh capital, Cardiff, where he had given a concert the previous night that won him a standing ovation.
South Wales police said the death was not being treated as suspicious.
Born on Feb. 17, 1941, in Hartford, Conn., Pitney initially had no real ambition to be a singer. As a boy, he was more at home collecting stamps and coins, trapping mink and muskrat and experimenting with electronics.
But music gradually began to take over his life, and he formed a band while he was student at Rockville High School. His initial successes came when others recorded his songs, and he concentrated on writing rather than performing.
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Roy Orbison released "Today's Teardrops" as the B-side of his hit single "Blue Angel" in 1960, while "Rubber Ball" became a million-seller hit for American artist Bobby Vee and Britain's Marty Wilde.
Pitney then began to record his own songs, scoring his first American top 20 hit with the title song from the movie "Town Without Pity."
Another movie theme, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," gave him another hit, but it was the 1963 release of "24 Hours From Tulsa" that brought him worldwide fame.
Pitney became friendly with the Rolling Stones, and his endorsement of the British rock group in the United States is credited with helping them break through there.
Pitney is survived by his wife, Lynne, and three sons: David, Todd and Chris.
