Bobby Hatfield
Robert Lee "
Bobby"
Hatfield (
August 10,
1940 –
November 5,
2003), was one half of
The Righteous Brothers singing duo.
He was born in
Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, and moved with his family to
Anaheim, California, when he was four. There, Hatfield played
baseball and briefly considered going professional, but his passion for music led him to pursue music while attending high school. He would eventually encounter his singing partner
Bill Medley while attending
California State University, Long Beach.
The pair began singing as a duo in
1962. Their first single was "Little Latin Lupe Lu"; their first hit was "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", produced by
Phil Spector in
1964. Follow-up hits included "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" and "
Unchained Melody". The duo broke up in
1968.
They returned with another hit in
1974, "Rock And Roll Heaven". The duo was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2003 by one of their biggest fans,
Billy Joel.
Hatfield died in a
Kalamazoo, Michigan hotel, apparently in his sleep. In January
2004, a toxicology report concluded that an overdose of
cocaine had precipitated a fatal heart attack.
The Sun, a
UK based
tabloid daily
newspaper caused controversy with its reporting of Hatfield's death, namely with the
front page headline of:
You've lost that livin' feeling.
*
Bobby Hatfield's Gravesite* performed by Hatfield, credited as The Righteous Brothers, circa 1965
