Falsetto Singer-Songwriter Lou Christie Passes Away, Aged 82

Photo Credit: MGM Records, 1966

Falsetto singer-songwriter Lou Christie, best known for songs like “Lightnin’ Strikes” and “I’m Gonna Make You Mine,” has passed away at age 82.

Lou Christie, beloved singer-songwriter of the 1960s who became a country singer in the ‘70s, has passed away. His family confirmed his death “after a brief illness” in an Instagram post on Wednesday. He was 82.

“It is with deep sorry that we share the passing of our beloved brother, Lou Christie,” the post reads. “He 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. His absence leaves a profound void in all our hearts. He will be greatly missed, always remembered, and forever loved.”

Lou Christie was born February 19, 1943 as Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco in Glenwillard, Pennsylvania. He studied music and voice in high school and began recording songs with small Pittsburgh labels in the ‘50s and early ‘60s.

HIs breakout hit came with the 1962 single, “The Gypsy Cried,” which reached #24 on the Billboard Hot 100. He released several more successful songs before pausing his music career to serve in the U.S. Army.

Notably, his 1966 hit, “Rhapsody in the Rain,” was infamously banned from some radio stations as one of the first pop songs to openly reference teen sex. In 1974, Christie switched to country with a self-titled album, best known for the track “Beyond the Blue Horizon,” which was featured on the Rain Man (1988) soundtrack.

“You know they talked in those terms back there in those days and they said, ‘Listen kid. You know, they’ve got 250 or 300 records come out, 45s, you know, and if the disc jockey puts that needle on that record and it doesn’t turn him on in 15 seconds, that’s the end of it, you know,” Lou Christie said about trying to find early success.

“So I thought, I’ve got to get their attention so I said I’ve got five seconds to do that and that’s the way I wrote the song and that’s the way it happened. All of a sudden people said ‘who is this? What is this? You know, is it a guy? is it a girl? Is it a—you know, is he black? Could be white or she or what is it?”

Christie continued to record music and tour throughout his life and into his twilight years, joining the supergroup Dick Fox’s Golden Boys in 2022. He is survived by his wife Francesca Winfield and his daughter Bianca. His son Christopher passed away in 2014.

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