Post by Taxigirl on Nov 6, 2003 10:27:30 GMT
Hatfield (left) was found dead in his hotel room
Singer Bobby Hatfield, of the chart-topping duo the Righteous Brothers, died on Wednesday at the age of 63, his manager has said.
Hatfield was found dead at a hotel in Western Michigan, half an hour before he was due to perform at a concert with singing partner Bill Medley.
The US pair had their first British number one in 1965 with You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'.
They also topped the chart with Unchained Melody in 1990.
The group's manager David Cohen said: "It's a shock, a real shock."
He said Medley, who Hatfield had started the group with 42 years ago, was "broken up".
Hatfield's body was found at 2300 GMT.
Body found
Miller Auditorium executive director Bill Biddle told the audience minutes before the show the concert would have to be cancelled because of "a personal emergency of an unspecified nature".
Joe Hakim, an executive from the hotel Hatfield was staying in, said the singer had been sleeping most of the day. When he did not answer a 6pm wake-up call, staff entered his room and found his body.
The Righteous Brothers, who formed in California in 1962, first found fame in the 1960s, their debut hit being the 1964 single You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'.
The song is said to have been the most-played song in radio history.
They also had hits with the songs Unchained Melody and Soul and Inspiration.
They broke up in 1968, but reformed six years later and went on to have another US number one with Rock and Roll Heaven.
They found new fame in 1990 thanks to the inclusion of Unchained Melody in the Hollywood film Ghost, starring Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze.
Earlier this year the Righteous Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.