Lou Christie, 'Lightnin' Strikes' singer and teen idol, dies at 82

 

Lou Christie, who topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966 with "Lightnin' Strikes," has died. He was 82.

A representative, Mary Fox, confirmed to USA TODAY on June 18 that the Pittsburgh-born singer had died June 17. A cause of death was not given.

The falsetto-wielding Christie started his ascent from Glenwillard, Pennsylvania, choirboy to a teen idol when "The Gypsy Cried" started rising up the charts in 1963, followed by "Two Faces Have I." With the hit song, cowritten by Twyla Herbert, he went from Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco to Lou Christie.

A few years later, he made a name for himself when "Rhapsody in the Rain" was banned by radio stations for what was deemed suggestive lyrics. Then in 1988, more than a decade after Christie released his rendition of "Beyond the Blue Horizon," the song made an appearance in the Oscar-winning film "Rain Man." It was also included in the soundtrack of 1993's "A Home of Our Own."

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Lou Christie continued to perform into his 80s

Christie, according to his website, started his career in a two-track studio in Glenwillard with no musical training. He told the Beaver County Times, part of the USA TODAY Network, in 2016, that his first public performance was a first-grade Christmas pageant, in which he sang "Away in a Manger."

"I thought everyone could sing," Christie said. "When I finished, I heard all this applause, and I was like, 'Oh, what is this? This is kind of cool.'"

As a Moon Area High School student, he formed a band called The Crewnecks, followed by another group called Lugee & The Lions. With the Lions, he performed "in church basements or school gymnasiums. We'd do five a week, maybe three or four on a weekend."

Christie appeared to have performed as recently as 2023, when he was 80.

Explaining how he was still performing into his 70s in 2016, Christie said, "I'm not a liquor drinker and I don't smoke or go out to places where the music is so loud you have to shout to have a discussion. That doesn't interest me. I live a peaceful life, and I think that helps."

He added, "When you're performing in Wales and England or traveling through the South and beating yourself up with such a busy schedule for years you start to wonder does anyone really know what I'm out there doing, other than the fans, who are so dedicated. That's the nicest part of my career. I've had incredibly devoted fans."

Contributing: Scott Tady, The Beaver County Times

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