Singer Vic Damone Passes Away In Miami Beach

MIAMI BEACH, FL — Singer Vic Damone passed away in Miami Beach on Sunday night, according to Ed Harris of Fox News. He was 89.

The Brooklyn born Damone was best known for hit songs like "You're Breaking My Heart," "On the Street Where You Live" and "My Heart Cries for You."

Harris, who described himself as a friend of the singer, said the family asked him to share news of Damone's passing.

"Sad duty to report an American legend has died," Harris posted on social media on Monday. "Frank Sinatra said he had best pipes in biz."

Born on June 12, 1928 as Vito Farinola, Damone got his first taste of show business working as an usher at New York's Paramount Theater, according to entertainment website IMDB.

Damone appeared in four films: "Rich, Young and Pretty" in 1951, "Athena" in 1954, "Deep in My Heart" in 1954 and "Hit the Deck" in 1955.

While not exactly born into a family of entertainers, Damone's father was an electrician who played the guitar and his mother taught piano.

Damone left Lafayette High School in Brooklyn to support his family at age 16. He returned to graduate some 50 years later.

His real break in show business came in 1945 when Damone took first prize in the Arthur Godfrey talent scouts contest, according to IMDB. His first nightclub appearance was set up by comedian Milton Berle at the LA Martinique.

Damone received his star on Hollywood Boulevard in 1960.

According to his official biography, Damone once paid a Las Vegas showgirl to run naked through the men's steam room to which fellow entertainer Dean Martin simply nodded and said, "Lovely ... lovely."

He retired in 2001 after suffering a stroke. His final performance was at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, Florida in front of a packed house that included his wife, four children, daughter, son-in-laws and grandchildren.

Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for USC Shoah Foundation Institute