April 13, 2006 10:51

Singing legend Gene Pitney laid to rest

The star is buried in his hometown

The funeral of singing legend Gene Pitney has been held in his native Connecticut.

Pitney died suddenly last week (April 5) in a Cardiff hotel room, shortly after playing a show at St David’s Hall in the Welsh capital. He was 65.

The star’s body was flown back to the US last weekend (April 8) after a post mortem revealed the cause of death was heart disease.

The star was buried in his home town of Somers, being laid to rest at the Centre Cemetery following a service at the nearby All Saints Church.

A statement from Pitney’s family, which appears on his official website, reads: “We would like to thank family, friends and fans all across the world for their overwhelming support. Gene’s greatest joy was seeing the happiness his music brought to the lives of those around him. He will be greatly missed, but will live on through his songs. Listen to them and remember.”

His family also asked for donations, in lieu of flowers, to be made to Connecticut Public Broadcasting Company and the Humane Society of the US.

Pitney’s biggest hits included ‘Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa’, and ‘Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart’, a smash in 1967 and then, when duetting with Marc Almond, a Number One in 1989. He also wrote ‘He’s A Rebel’ for The Crystals and ‘Hello Mary Lou’ for Ricky Nelson.