Del Shannon

American singer, one of the early rockers who wrote his own material. He began his pro career in music at the age of 14 when he first learned guitar. By 1960 he was performing in school shows and working as a D.J. His first number one hit came in 1961, "Runaway," which was followed by "Hats Off To Harry." In 1962 he made his first tour of England, but the following year began having legal problems. The legal action begun in 1963 dragged on for ten years as a handicap background of his hit songs.

By 1969 his career had waned and he began concentrating on production work, arranging and recording. In 1976 he dropped out of the business for a year with alcohol problems. Two years later he was back in the recording business. He was married twice. His first marriage lasted for 30 years with two children while his second marriage lasted two years; no kids.

Shannon died of a self-inflicted .22 caliber gunshot wound to the head in his Santa Clarita, CA home on 8 February 1990. He was found dead by his second wife.