Singer Lou Christie, teen idol of 1960s, passes away at 82

Singer Lou Christie, who topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966 with the iconic ‘Lightnin' Strikes,’ has passed away at the age of 82. A representative, Mary Fox, confirmed to USA TODAY on June 18 that the Pittsburgh-born singer had died June 17. The cause of his death was not revealed.Christie, known for singing in falsetto, started his musical journey from Glenwillard, Pennsylvania, choirboy and went on to become a teen idol with ‘The Gypsy Cried’ rising up the charts in 1963, followed by "Two Faces Have I." As the song, co-written by Twyla Herbert, rose up the charts, he went from Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco to Lou Christie.

A few years later, he hit headlines when "Rhapsody in the Rain" was banned by radio stations for what was deemed suggestive lyrics. Then, in 1988, more than a decade after Christie released his rendition of "Beyond the Blue Horizon," the song made an appearance in the Oscar-winning film "Rain Man." It was also included in the soundtrack of 1993's “A Home of Our Own.”

Lou Christie's decades-long musical career

According to his website, Christie had no formal musical training, and his first public performance was in a first-grade Christmas pageant, where he sang “Away in a Manger.”

"I thought everyone could sing," Christie said. "When I finished, I heard all this applause, and I was like, 'Oh, what is this? This is kind of cool.'"

Christie appeared to have performed as recently as 2023, when he was 80.

Back in 2016, when he was asked how he could still manage to sing in his 70s, Christie said, "I'm not a liquor drinker and I don't smoke or go out to places where the music is so loud you have to shout to have a discussion. That doesn't interest me. I live a peaceful life, and I think that helps."

He added, "When you're performing in Wales and England or traveling through the South and beating yourself up with such a busy schedule for years, you start to wonder, does anyone really know what I'm out there doing, other than the fans, who are so dedicated. That's the nicest part of my career. I've had incredibly devoted fans."