Singer-actor Al Martino dies at 82
Al Martino, the Italian-American singer who made a splash on the big screen in the role of Johnny Fontane in The Godfather, has died. He was 82.
Martino died Tuesday at his childhood home in the Philadelphia suburb of Springfield, in Delaware County, according to publicist Sandy Friedman, of the Rogers & Cowan public relations firm. No cause of death was given.
Martino had a 50-year career as a singer, with hits such as Volare, Can't Help Falling in Love and Spanish Eyes. His Here in My Heart was the first No. 1 hit in Britain in 1952.
"He was the last of the show business legends," said Philadelphia radio and television personality Jerry Blavat, who has played Martino's songs on the radio for years. "There's nobody else. The last of the performers. A magnificent voice."
He also recorded the theme song to The Godfather, I Have But One Heart. His character in the 1972 film, a singer who requests the support of the Mafia to bolster his sagging career, is believed to have been based on Frank Sinatra, but also reflected his own life story.
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Martino died Tuesday at his childhood home in the Philadelphia suburb of Springfield, in Delaware County, according to publicist Sandy Friedman, of the Rogers & Cowan public relations firm. No cause of death was given.
Martino had a 50-year career as a singer, with hits such as Volare, Can't Help Falling in Love and Spanish Eyes. His Here in My Heart was the first No. 1 hit in Britain in 1952.
"He was the last of the show business legends," said Philadelphia radio and television personality Jerry Blavat, who has played Martino's songs on the radio for years. "There's nobody else. The last of the performers. A magnificent voice."
He also recorded the theme song to The Godfather, I Have But One Heart. His character in the 1972 film, a singer who requests the support of the Mafia to bolster his sagging career, is believed to have been based on Frank Sinatra, but also reflected his own life story.