Frankie Laine, the big-voiced singer whose string of hits made him one of the most popular entertainers of the 1950s, has died. He was 93.
Laine died of heart failure at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego on Tuesday, Jimmy Marino, Laine's producer of more than a dozen years, said.
"He was one of the greatest singers around," Marino said. "He was one of the last Italian crooners type."
With songs such as That's My Desire, Mule Train, Jezebel, I Believe and That Lucky Old Sun, Laine was a regular feature of the Top Ten in the years just before rock 'n' roll ushered in a new era of popular music.
Somewhat younger listeners may remember him best for singing the theme to the television show Rawhide, which ran from 1959 to 1966, and the theme for the 1974 movie Blazing Saddles.
He sold more than 100 million records and earned more than 20 gold records.
Laine was born Frank LoVecchio on March 30, 1913, in Chicago, the son of a barber who emigrated from Sicily.
He struggled from his teens until well into his 30s -- even having to earn a living as a marathon dancer -- before hits began coming his way with That's My Desire in 1947. His breakthrough came when Hoagy Carmichael heard him sing in a Los Angeles nightclub and praised his work.
Survivors include his second wife, Marcia; a brother; and two daughters.
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