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Former Canadian teen idol Bobby Curtola dies at 73

Xinhua, June 6, 2016 Adjust font size:

Bobby Curtola, a former Canadian teen idol and singer with string of Canadian hits in 1960s, has died at the age of 73, his family said Sunday.

Curtola's death was announced in a statement from his children, who called Curtola "an amazing man who did so much for the people in this world."

A rock and roll singer and teen idol in Canada during the early 1960s, Curtola also made his mark internationally in 1962 with the singles Fortune Teller and Aladdin.

Robert Allen "Bobby" Curtola was born in Port Arthur (now part of Thunder Bay), Ontario in 1943, and was named to the Order of Canada, the highest civilian honor in the country, in 1997 in recognition of his long service to the Canadian music industry as well as his humanitarian work around the world particularly for children.

Besides his musical work, Curtola was also a business entrepreneur, marketing a successful brand of Caesar cocktail. He was also chief executive officer of Home Farms Technologies, a Canadian-based company which is attempting to develop an environmentally friendly waste management system for hog waste.

In 2011, Curtola received a star on the Italian Walk of Fame in Toronto.

In a statement issued through Curtola's Facebook and Twitter pages, Chris and Michael Curtola said their father loved his fans.

"To his fans... he loved each and every one of you more than you will know, and never took for granted the life you gave him," the statement said. "He would want you to do something kind for one another today and each day."

"He would also want you to know he loves you, and that you have another angel watching over you," it said. Endit