Italian-American singer Al Martino, who made history as the first ever artist to top the UK singles chart, has died aged 82.

 

Martino reached number one with Here In My Heart in November 1952 on New Musical Express’s newly-launched UK hit parade and then stayed at the top for nine weeks before being replaced early the following year.

 

Martino passed away at his childhood home in the Philadelphia suburb of Springfield in Delaware County, although the cause of death has not been disclosed.

 

Martino, who had also made number one in the States for Here In My Heart, followed his historic first hit with five further UK Top 10 hits in the early Fifties, including the similarly-titled Take My Heart, Now and Wanted.

 

By the end of the decade his popularity started to wane, but he gained a whole new audience in the early Seventies when he played the part of singer Johnny Fontane in the 1972 movie The Godfather and then returned two years later to play the role again in The Godfather Part II. The character was purportedly based on Frank Sinatra.

 

Between the two Godfather movies he scored his biggest UK hit since Here In My Heart when Spanish Eyes reached number five in 1973 and spent 17 weeks in the chart.

 

He continued to play concerts, including in the UK and, according to his US publicist Sandy Friedman of Rogers & Cowan, he was planning to perform at the London Palladium again to mark the 50th anniversary of both Here In My Heart and when he first performed at the venue.

 

 

 

So Sad

RIP Al

 

This was that very first UK Chart Topper

Here In My Heart

 

 

This was one of his other big hits - recorded in 1965 but not a UK hit until 1973 peaking at #5 on re-release

Spanish Eyes