Australian singer and guitarist Frank Ifield has died, aged 86.
Best known for his hits I Remember You and Lovesick Blues, the legendary singer helped give The Beatles their start when they played as his support act in the UK.
The 86-year-old died “peacefully” on Saturday night, friend and music journalist Glenn A Baker said, describing him as a “remarkable man”.
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A longtime resident of Dural, Sydney, Ifield fell in love with country music as a child.
His parents gifted him a ukulele for his 11th birthday and after getting to perform in class, Ifield “instinctively knew (music) was to be my calling”, according to his website.
After receiving a guitar from his grandmother at 13, the star began writing his own songs and scored a recording contract with EMI Regal Zonophone.
He soon was launched to stardom and promoted to EMI’s prestigious Columbia Label and appeared on several radio and TV shows.
In 1959, Ifield tried his luck abroad, moving to London, where he cemented himself as a household name in the UK.
Ifield achieved four number-one UK hits in the 1960s — I Remember You, Lovesick Blues, Wayward Wind and Confessin’ (That I Love You) — and gave a break to The Beatles as support act to his one-night-stand touring show.
The star twice entered the UK heats for Eurovision and came in second in 1962 with Alone Too Long.
He was known for his unique singing style, combining his falsetto with a slight yodel.
Ifield also found success on the big screen, starring in the 1965 feature film, Up Jumped A Swagman, and appearing on several TV shows, such as In Melbourne Tonight and Spicks & Specks.
The 86-year-old was inducted into the Australia Roll of Renown in 2003 and the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2007.
In 2009, he was presented with a Medal of the Order of Australia for his “service to the arts as an entertainer”.
“During my career, I have played all the places I dreamed of and more,” he wrote on his website.
Ifield is survived by his wife Carole Wood and his two children from his previous marriage to Gillian Bowden.
