Lou Christie, the Pittsburgh-born singer known for his distinctive falsetto and 1960s hits including “Lightnin’ Strikes,” died June 17 at his home in Pittsburgh following a brief illness. He was 82.
Christie’s wife, Francesca, confirmed his death to The Hollywood Reporter. His family announced the news on social media, stating that Christie was cherished not only by his family and close friends, but also by countless fans whose lives he touched with his kindness and generosity, artistic and musical talent, humor and spirit.
Born Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco on February 19, 1943, in Glenwillard, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, Christie rose to fame in the early 1960s with his signature falsetto voice. As a 15-year-old ninth-grader at Moon Area High School, he became friends with songwriter and pianist Twyla Herbert, who was nearly 22 years older and classically trained.
The partnership between Christie and Herbert proved highly successful, with the duo writing hundreds of songs together throughout their careers. Christie told Goldmine magazine in 2005 that he never worked with anyone else who was that talented, that original, or that exciting, describing Herbert as bizarre while noting he was twice as bizarre as her.
After graduating from high school in 1961, Christie moved to New York and worked as a session vocalist. Pittsburgh music executive Nick Cenci produced Christie’s breakthrough single “The Gypsy Cried” and gave him his stage name, much to the singer’s surprise. The song became his first million-seller, reaching number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1963.
Christie followed that success three months later with “Two Faces Have I,” which peaked at number six on the charts. His early success earned him a spot on Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars tours alongside Diana Ross and other prominent artists. Christie performed 32 consecutive one-night shows, often sleeping on the tour bus while traveling through the South during what he described as a dangerous period in the early 1960s.
Following a two-year stint in the U.S. Army, Christie achieved his greatest commercial success with “Lightnin’ Strikes.” When he and Herbert initially presented the song to MGM Records, label head Lenny Shear dismissed it. Christie later recalled that Shear “threw it in the wastebasket and said it was a piece of c***!” However, Christie and Herbert funded their own promotional efforts, and the song began gaining traction once it received radio play.
Released in December 1965, “Lightnin’ Strikes” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1966, coinciding with Christie’s 23rd birthday. The song was arranged, conducted and produced by Charles Calello and featured backing vocals from Bernadette Carroll, Peggy Santiglia and Denise Ferri of The Delicates.
Christie followed up with “Rhapsody in the Rain” in spring 1966, a song about teenage intimacy that reached number 16 on the Hot 100 despite being banned by many radio stations for its suggestive lyrics, including the line “our love went much too far.” The Catholic Church also banned the song due to its risque content, leading MGM Records to release a cleaner version with modified lyrics.
In 1969, Christie returned to the top 10 with “I’m Gonna Make You Mine,” which featured backing vocals by Lesley Gore and others. The song reached number 10 in the United States and number two in the United Kingdom. Christie achieved another chart success in 1974 with a country version of “Beyond the Blue Horizon,” which reached number 13 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
Throughout his career, Christie recorded numerous albums and continued touring well into his later years. He most recently performed with Frankie Avalon and Fabian as part of Dick Fox’s Golden Boys tour. Christie recorded his last album in 2004 and released new material as recently as 2015, including a song called “Drive-in Dreams.”
Fellow performer Fabian Forte, who toured with Christie and knew him since 1958, expressed his condolences to Pittsburgh’s Action News 4. Forte described Christie as one of the most talented and sweetest people, calling him one of the all-time greats.
Christie married former Miss England Francesca Winfield in 1971. He is survived by his wife and their daughter, Bianca. Their son, Christopher, died in 2014 at age 46 in a motorcycle crash.