Larry Verne

Larry Verne (February 8, 1936[1] – October 8, 2013) was an American novelty song singer.

Verne was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He scored two U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart hit singles in 1960: "Mister Livingston" (#75) and "Mr. Custer" (#1, #9 R&B).[2] "Mr. Custer" was written by Fred Darian, Al DeLory, and Joe Van Winkle.[1] The record sold over one million copies, earning a gold disc.[1] In the UK, "Mr. Custer" was successfully covered by Charlie Drake. Unhappy with the music industry, Verne switched to becoming a successful builder of sets for the Hollywood film industry for 35 years before he retired.[3]

Death

Verne died of heart failure on 8 October 2013 in Sylmar, California, at age 77. He also suffered from Alzheimer's disease and had had three strokes.[4]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 130. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  2. ↑ Larry Verne at Allmusic
  3. ↑ Entertainment.ctcentral.com
  4. ↑ "Oldies Music News". Retrieved 2013-11-01.