‘Girl Like You’ singer of Smithereens dead at 62

The Smithereens’ frontman Pat DiNizio, who turned up the volume on classic pop with hits such as “A Girl Like You,” has died, his bandmates said on Wednesday. He was 62.

The band, which has stayed active since its heyday in the late 1980s and planned a tour next month, announced his death on Facebook but did not reveal details.

“Pat had the magic touch. He channeled the essence of joy and heartbreak into hookladen three-minute pop songs, infused with a lifelong passion for rock’n’roll,” the surviving members of The Smithereens wrote.

DiNizio struggled with a nerve disorder a decade ago and in September said that he had suffered a severe fall at home.

In 2015, he appealed with embarrassment for fans’ contributions after another fall during a blizzard as he lacked coverage for his medical expenses.

Growing up in New Jersey, DiNizio had planned to join the family business of collecting garbage until he heard acts such as New Wave pioneers Talking Heads and English songwriter Elvis Costello.

“Then from there I discovered Buddy Holly and it was all over for me. I lost interest in garbage and rekindled my lifelong interest in rock’n’roll and the guitar,” he later told website Pop Entertainment.

Foreshadowing the 1990s boom in alternative rock, The Smithereens brought the distorted guitars of hard rock to catchy songwriting that harked back to the classic era of pop rock.

“A Girl Like You” appeared in the romantic comedy Say Anything..., one of a number of movies to which The Smithereens would contribute.

Other hits included “Only a Memory” and “Too Much Passion.”