Gogi Grant, whose 1956 hit "The Wayward Wind" knocked Elvin Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" out of the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts, has died. She was 91.
Her family confirmed she died last Thursday, said
The Hollywood Reporter.
Grant, who was born Myrtle Audrey Arinsberg in Philadelphia, according to her
Los Angeles Times obituary, recorded 15 albums through her career and provided the singing voice for actress Ann Blyth in the movie "The Helen Morgan Story," in 1957.
Her family moved to Southern California when Grant was 12. She won an amateur singing contest at a Hollywood nightclub and starting appearing on television talent shows, said the Reporter.
Record producers renamed her Gogi Grant after she had recorded in the early 1950s under the names Audrey Brown and Audrey Grant.
Grant's "The Wayward Wind" stayed No. 1 for six weeks on the Billboard charts and sold more than one million copies, according to
Variety. Her classic was re-recorded over the years by the Beatles, Patsy Cline, Tex Ritter, and Sylvia.
"She took a 20-year hiatus to raise her son, but returned to rave reviews reflecting that her absence had not diminished effect on her artistry," said her obituary. "Gogi was an elegant performer who sang with an unmatched purity of tone and emotion."
Fans shared their condolences on Twitter.
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