AMERICAN singer Gene Pitney was found dead in a South Wales hotel today.

The 65-year-old star rose to fame in the 1960s and found international success with the Burt Bacharach song Twenty- Four Hours From Tulsa. Last night he had played a gig at Cardiff's St David's Hall and was due to perform at Bristol's Colston Hall.

Mark Howes, of his management company In Touch Music, said he was found dead in his bed at the Hilton Hotel, Cardiff, by his tour manager at 10am today.

Our reviewer Nigel Corten said: "Last night I saw him at St David's Hall, Cardiff, and there was not a clue to his fate today as his performance and voice were as powerful as ever.

"He had the crowd in raptures as he rolled out hit after hit from the last 40 years.

"Pitney was a bit of an enigma in the pop culture back in the 60s, fighting it out with the likes of the Beatles, Stones and the Kinks at the top of the charts, with no fancy gimmicks or haircuts, just great songs and a voice so powerful that at one concert the audio system packed up.

"Ironically, his last song was a Town Without Pity. And his passing is a true pity to anyone who has followed him through those years." Pitney is survived by his wife and three sons who live in his native Connecticut.

South Wales Police said today there were no suspicious circumstances.