Daughter: Popular crooner Vic Damone dies in Florida at 89
MIAMI — Vic Damone, whose mellow baritone once earned praise from Frank Sinatra as “the best pipes in the business,” has died in Florida at the age of 89, his daughter said.
Victoria Damone told The Associated Press in a phone interview Monday her father died Sunday at a Miami Beach hospital from complications of a respiratory illness.
Damone’s easy-listening romantic ballads brought him million-selling records and sustained a half-century career in recordings, concerts, films and television appearances.
Damone’s career began climbing in the 1940s after he won a tie on the radio show “Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Hunt.” His hit singles included “Again,” “You’re Breaking My Heart,” “My Heart Cries for You,” “On the Street Where You Live” and, in 1957, the title song of the Cary Grant film “An Affair to Remember.”
Born Vito Farinola in Brooklyn, N.Y., on June 12, 1928 to immigrants from Bari, Italy, Damone dropped out of high school after his father, an electrician, was injured on the job.
Damone adopted his mother’s maiden name when he began his career, after catching an early break while working as an usher at the Paramount Theater in New York City, according to a family statement.
The 14-year-old bumped into Perry Como in an elevator at the theater, stopped it between floors, and started singing. Then he asked Como whether he should continue voice lessons, and Como said simply, “Keep singing!”
Damone is survived by two sisters, his three daughters and six grandchildren.