Conway Twitty

SPRINGFIELD (Reuter) - The country and western singer Conway Twitty, whose soulful ballads made him
a music legend for nearly 40 years, died at a hospital in Springfield, Missouri yesterday. He was
59.

Twitty, who had more than 50 number one hits in the country music charts, collapsed last night on
his tour bus following a performance in nearby Branson, Missouri.

The hospital said his family was with him when he died, but would not reveal the cause of death.

A year ago, Twitty collapsed on stage during a matinee performance in Branson. He said at the time
that he fainted because he 'simply got too warm', and dismissed remarks by the theatre manager that
he was suffering from diabetes.

Twitty was born Harold Jenkins in Mississippi and raised in Helena, Arkansas. He took his name from
two small towns - Conway from Conway, Arkansas, and Twitty from Twitty, Texas.

In the Fifties, he started out as a rock'n'roll singer and his song, 'Lonely Blue Boy', went gold.
His first number one country hit was released in 1958 - the ballad 'It's Only Make Believe'. He
specialised in ballads of lost love and his biggest hits included 'Tight Fittin' Jeans', 'Hello
Darlin' ' and 'After All The Good is Gone'. In the Seventies, he sang a string of hit duets with
Loretta Lynn. Twitty was prolific, releasing an average of one album every eight months.

'I pick a song a woman will like for sure,' he once said. 'Women are more sensitive and get the
point quicker. I like a song that says things a man wants to say and doesn't know how to say.'
Another veteran country singer, Porter Wagoner, described him as a legend. 'We got into the music
business about the same time,' he said. 'I first met him when I was playing a club in Minneapolis in
1957. He had a pop song which was a pretty big hit at the time, but he told me he wanted to be a
country singer and recording star. He became one of the true legends of our business.

'He had a great ear for songs that were commercial. He'd go through hundreds of songs, looking for a
single or numbers for an album.'

Twitty had a strong interest in sport and before he went into show business, was offered a contract
with the professional baseball team, the Philadelphia Phillies. Later, he became part owner of the
minor league baseball team, the Nashville Sounds.

Twitty once summed up his career: 'I've survived and stayed on top. I worked my way up there and
stayed there and I did it without taking dope.'

**I grew up listening to Conway Twitty's music. My mom loves him & his music. I too, love his music.
My heart goes out to his children. I've lost my dad too,so, I know what it's like. I created this
memorial for Conway Twitty & his children. A way to remember him always. He will always be loved &
adored for his music in my family! I hope everyone who visit's this memorial will honor a great
country singer by lighting a candle for him. He is loved & missed deeply! May God Bless his children
& all his fans**!