Englebert Humperdinck devoted to his dye

LONDON, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Ageless Engelbert Humperdinck credits a Los Angeles hair stylist with keeping his hair jet black over his 50-year singing career.

The singer credited with inspiring Elvis's sideburns says he is still hitting the bottle -- of hair dye, that is -- after 50 years, and trusts only a particular stylist in LA to keep him looking like the beloved 1960s heartthrob.

The Daily Mail reported Saturday that Humperdinck, 70, said his hair had gone prematurely gray, much to his personal horror, at age 20.

"I couldn't go on stage then with gray hair, and I can't now," he told the newspaper. "To me, looking in the mirror and seeing gray hair means feeling old. I don't have the slightest desire to know what that feels like."

Humperdinck got into a pickle recently when he was in the United Kingdom over Christmas and found that he needed a touch-up. He said his wife of more than 40 years was trustworthy enough for the task so he asked her to do the color job.