Overview

• Born Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco on Feb. 19, 1943, in Glenwillard, Pennsylvania, he adopted the stage name Lou Christie as he rose to fame in the early 1960s.
• His 1966 single “Lightnin’ Strikes” topped the Billboard Hot 100 on his 23rd birthday and sold over a million copies.
• He and collaborator Twyla Herbert pushed pop boundaries with “Rhapsody in the Rain,” which was banned by some stations for its then-explicit lyrics.
• Christie recorded into the 2010s and toured with acts like Frankie Avalon and Fabian as part of Dick Fox’s Golden Boys on the oldies circuit.
• He is survived by his wife Francesca Winfield and their daughter Bianca, while his son Christopher predeceased him in 2014.