Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Olympics singer Ward dead at age 66

|
|
 
  
Published: Dec. 17, 2006 at 5:37 PM

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Singer Walter Ward, who hit it big with the Olympics' "Western Movies," has died after a prolonged illness in Los Angeles at the age of 66.

During his time with the musical group, Ward helped produce such hits as the 1958 novelty song and continued working with the Olympics up until one month before his death last Monday, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Ward had founded the group, which also created the 1960 dance hit "(Baby) Hully Gully," along with his cousin, Eddie Lewis, and managed to keep the group together despite the shooting deaths of two key members.

While Ward's recent illness had limited his playing time with his band mates recently, the singer had maintained his presence with various performances, including on Nov. 12 at New York's Doo-Wop Spectacular, the report said.

The Times said Ward is survived by two sisters, Bessie Ward and Magdelene Enyard, and his son, Dwayne, also of Los Angeles.

Topics: Eddie Lewis
© 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
Protesters, police clash at NATO summit Notable deaths of 2012 2012 Billboard Music Awards
The 137th Preakness Stakes Annual Solar eclipse occurs in U.S. Chen Guangcheng arrives in the U.S.
Additional Entertainment News Stories
1 of 29
Members of the Army's Old Guard place flags at Arlington National Ceremtery
View Caption
U.S. flags are seen in the rucksack of a soldier with the Army's 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment, The Old Guard, as he places flags at gravesites in Arlington National Cemetery as part of the Flags-In Memorial Day ceremony on May 24, 2012 in Arlington, Virginia. American flags were placed at each of the more than 220,000 grave markers in honor of those who served and Memorial Day. UPI/Kevin Dietshc
fark
Ink is pink
Glitz, kitsch, human rights violations, a pack of Russian grandmothers, more cheese than a tailgate...
"Officer, you have the wrong house. There is NO armed robber here. My family is cooking dinner....
Illinois adds $1 sales tax to cigarettes to help fund Medicaid
13-year-old buys old Polaroid camera at a garage sale that holds a photo of a long-dead relative....
Today's utterly OMFG newspaper front page brought to you by the Liverpool Echo