Legendary crooner Vic Damone died from complications of a respiratory illness on Sunday in Miami Beach, Fla., his daughter Victoria confirmed to the Associated Press. He was 89.
Born Vito Farinola to an Italian family in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, Damone was known for his deep baritone love ballads and Frank Sinatra, whom he idolized and often tried to imitate. Sinatra once described Damone as having “the best pipes in the business.”
After winning a tie on the “Alfred Godfrey Talent Hunt” radio show, Damone’s singing career took off, and the crooner sold millions of records in a recording career spanning over 50 years.
During his performing days, Damone appeared on radio shows, films, television programs, and also sang at nightclubs. However, in his 2009 memoir, “Singing Was the Easy Part,” he said that while singing came easy, being a showman “wasn’t my particular gift.”
Over the span of his career, Damone released over 2,500 records and hit songs like “Again,” ”You’re Breaking My Heart,” ”My Heart Cries for You,” and ”On the Street Where You Live.” He also worked on films like Cary Grant’s “An Affair to Remember,” where Damone sang the theme music.
Popular on Variety
He continued to perform into his 70s until a stroke in 2002 pushed him into retirement in Palm Beach, Fla., with his fifth wife, fashion designer Rena Rowan.
Damone gave one final performance on Jan. 22, 2011 at the Kravis Performing Arts Center in West Palm Beach to a sold-out crowd.
Jump to CommentsMore from Variety
‘Pedro Páramo’ Review: Rodrigo Prieto Respectfully Adapts One of Mexico’s Most Famous Novels in Surreal Debut
Sports Is Traditional TV’s Hail Mary, Despite Pressure From Streaming
Web Traffic Patterns: Established News Brands Cede Ground to Partisan Political Upstarts
Most Popular
Anna Kendrick Was Terrified to Act With George Clooney on ‘Up in the Air’ Until He Told Her on Set: ‘I Get Insecure. Did They Even Hire the Right…
Grammy Nominations 2025: Beyonce Leads With 11 Nods as Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX Are Among Top Nominees
Ray Romano’s Identical Twin Sons Confront Their Quarter-Life Crisis, Codependency and Growing Up With a Famous Dad in Their New Documentary
Ridley Scott Says Joaquin Phoenix Got Cold Feet on ‘Gladiator’ and Said ‘I Can’t Do It’; Then Russell Crowe Called It ‘Terribly Unprofessional…
Tony Todd, ‘Candyman’ and ‘Final Destination’ Star, Dies at 69
‘Joker 2’ Actor Says It’s ‘the Worst Film Ever Made’ and People on Set Said ‘This Is Going to Bomb’: ‘It’s Not Even Hate-Watchable. That’s How…
Jimmy Kimmel Responds to Elon Musk Calling Him a ‘Propaganda Puppet’: ‘Listen Kermit, You Bought Twitter’
16-Year-Old Josh Brolin Tried to Make His ‘Goonies’ Character Super Deep; Then Steven Spielberg Told Him: ‘Just Act. Just Say What’s on the Page…
Denis Villeneuve Says ‘I Don’t Care’ If Quentin Tarantino Refuses to Watch ‘Dune,’ but ‘What I Did Was Not a Remake … I See This as an Original…
Nicholas Hoult Heard on the Radio That Robert Pattinson Was Batman and ‘I Was Auditioning Next Weekend’; Losing Role Was an ‘Emotional Blow…
Must Read
- Film
COVER | ‘Is the Sperm Still in There?’: Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey on Making ‘Queer’
By Andrew Wallenstein 5 days
- Film
The 100 Best Horror Movies of All Time
- Biz
Hollywood's New Leaders of 2024
- Music
15 Best Samples of Quincy Jones' Music, From Kanye West to the Weeknd to Harry Styles
- TV
Marvel's 2025 TV Slate Revealed, Including First Looks at ‘Wonder Man,’ Animated 'Spider-Man' and 'Wakanda' Shows
Sign Up for Variety Newsletters
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Variety Confidential
ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXKEjqasrKGTZLyjtdOumKuhlah6sbHOqaOeZZ6axLR71aKaZpyRoryvsYysoKeflad6pbXErGSdnZGZenJ%2Bj2ttcm1iZYZw