THE US: Bobby Hatfield, the tenor half of The Righteous Brothers singing duo who made You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling a worldwide hit, has been found dead in a western Michigan hotel.
Hatfield (63) was found by hotel workers in Kalamazoo, Michigan, after he did not respond to a wake-up call before a show. Kalamazoo police said there were no signs of foul play and that, while an autopsy would be conducted, Hatfield apparently died of natural causes.
He and his singing partner, Bill Medley, got together in 1961 in southern California. They were performing in a local bar as part of a five-piece group called the Paramours when a Marine shouted "That's righteous, brothers," leading to the name.
With producer Phil Spector providing his "wall of sound," The Righteous Brothers produced a string of hits in the 1960s, including Unchained Melody and (You're My) Soul and Inspiration. But Lovin' Feeling, released in 1964, was their biggest hit, and industry experts rank it as the most-played radio song of all time.
The two split for a time in the late 1960s, but reunited and had a few hits in the mid-1970s. Their star rose again in 1990, when Unchained Melody was used in the film Ghost. Medley and Hatfield had continued to tour and perform a few months a year in Las Vegas. The two were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year. Hatfield is survived by his wife and four children.
Robert Lee Hatfield was born on August 10th, 1940, in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. His family moved to Anaheim, California, when he was four. He organised singing and instrumental groups in high school while helping his parents with their dry cleaning business. - (Reuters)