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 Orange County, 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 in 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.