'Old Man Jazz' dies at 93

One of the biggest hit-makers of late 1940s and early 1950s, Frankie Laine, died of heart failure at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego on Tuesday. He was 93. Laine is survived by his second wife Kline and two daughters.

He was known as the America's Number One Song Stylist, his other nicknames include Mr. Rhythm, Old Leather Lungs, and Old Man Jazz.

He had entered the hospital over the weekend for hip replacement surgery, but suffered complications from the operation, Jimmy Marino, Laine's producer said.

Among the most successful American singers of the twentieth century, a clarion-voiced pop singer had more than 70 charted records, 21 gold records, and a worldwide sales of over 250 million disks.

Born on March 30, 1913 to Giovanni and Cresenzia LoVecchio, Laine was the eldest of the eight children. He got his first singing exposure while singing as a member of the choir in the church of the Immaculate Conception's elementary school.

His first stage performance at the age of 17 was before a crowd of 5,000 at The Merry Garden Ballroom.

Seventeen years later he recorded his first hit “That's My Desire”, in 1946.

His most renowned and appreciated works include “High Noon” (1952), “Gunfight at the OK Corral” (1957), “Blazing Saddles” (1974). Laine also sang the theme song for the popular TV series “Rawhide” which ran from 1959 to 1966 and was quite a hit.

"Blazing Saddles" title song won an Oscar nomination for Best song.

A jazz singer at heart, Laine was often identified with the Western tunes he sang. He was one of the first white performers to embrace rhythm and blues.

Laine slowly excelled in virtually every music style like gospel, folk, country, western Americana and rock 'n' roll.

His career slowed down a little in the 1980s due to triple and quadruple bypasses. He also underwent a radiation treatment for a vocal cord ailment in 2003.

His last song "Taps/My Buddy," dedicated to the New York City Fire Fighters was recorded shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attack on America.

In 1996 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 27th Annual Songwriters’ Hall of Fame awards ceremony at the New York Sheraton. He was declared a ‘National Treasure’ by the United States Congress on his 80th birthday.

Laine married Hollywood film actress Nan Grey in June 1950 and adopted her daughters from a previous marriage, Pamela and Jan. Following Grey’s death in 1993, Laine married Marcia Ann Kline in June 1999.

Despite stroke Laine appeared in PBS My Music special in 2005.