Native Pittsburgh singer Lou Christie, who scored No. 1 Billboard hit with “Lightnin’ Strikes” in 1966, is dead. He was 82 years old. His wife, Francesca, told the Hollywood Reporter that Christie died at home in Pittsburgh after an undisclosed illness.

A late-1960s throwback to the days of clean-cut teen idols — he called himself “the missing link” — he rode his gymnastic vocal range to a string of hits.

Lou Christie, who topped the charts in 1966 with "Lightnin' Strikes" and made waves with the controversial "Rhapsody in the Rain," has died.