Lou Christie: ‘Lightnin’ Strikes’ singer dies at 82 |

Lou Christie, the legendary singer of the 1966 hit single ‘Lightnin’ Strikes,’ has passed away at 82. With his distinctive falsetto and drama-infused pop anthems, Christie’s family announced his death on social media on Wednesday, according to Variety. The reason for death remains unknown, but the family reported he died after a brief illness.From rural roots to musical peaksChristie was born Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco on February 19, 1943, in Glenwillard, a small village outside of Pittsburgh. Early life was simple, he was raised on a large 109-acre farm where chickens and pigs were everyday fare and worked at his father’s pizzeria during adolescence. Looking back on his childhood in an interview with Classic Bands, he defined it as “an innocent time, an era where it actually was mom and pop and the Catholic Church for me.“Christie’s love of music prompted him to take courses in voice and music at Moon Area High School, groundwork for a career that would before long produce shockwaves all over the pop charts.A voice that soared across decadesLou Christie burst onto the music scene in the early 1960s with Two Faces Have I, which climbed to No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963. But it was Lightnin’ Strikes, co-written with his longtime collaborator Twyla Herbert that catapulted him into superstardom. The song’s bold falsetto and dynamic storytelling took it all the way to No. 1 in February 1966 becoming the defining hit of his career.Although his chart supremacy eased in the late 1960s, Christie had another top-10 U.S. hit with I’m Gonna Make You Mine in 1969 which also reached huge popularity in the UK, reaching No. 2. Genre shifts and musical resilienceAs pop mainstream flowed in new directions, Christie didn’t depart, he merely changed. He experimented in country and adult contemporary, with his take on Beyond the Blue Horizon registering a small hit with the Adult Contemporary chart. Over the decades, he remained committed to his work and still gigging on the oldies circuit and cutting new songs well into the 2010s.A lasting legacy of melody and emotionChristie can be remembered for his hits but those closest to him also remember his kindness and devotion as a family man. He leaves behind his wife, Francesca Winfield and daughter, Bianca Christie.As listeners revisit his classic songs and recall his unforgettable falsetto, Lou Christie’s music is a fond part of pop history, a sound that illuminated the radio then and continues to resonate now.