Fri Aug 07, 2020 4:55 pm
Pop singer Wayne Fontana, who scored a major transatlantic hit with The Game of Love in 1965, has died aged 74 at hospital in Stockport “with his long-term partner by his side”, according to a press representative. The cause of death has not been announced.
Born Glyn Geoffrey Ellis in the Levenshulme area of Manchester, Fontana took his stage name from the Elvis Presley drummer DJ Fontana. Backed by his band, the Mindbenders, he released his debut single in 1963 and further singles grew ever more successful: Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um reached No 5 in the UK in 1964, with The Game of Love reaching No 2 the following year and going on to become his signature song.