Jack Ely Dead: Louie Louie Singer Dies in Oregon At 71
The Kingsmen lead singer Jack Ely, who was best known for 1960s hit Louie Louie, has died aged 71.
His son, Sean Ely said the singer died at home in Redmond, Oregon after a long battle with an illness.
Jack Ely’s incoherent singing on Louie Louie led the FBI to investigate the famous track.
He had a falling out with the band shortly after the song was recorded and later trained horses in Oregon.
Louie Louie was recorded in 1957 by Richard Berry, who had written it two years earlier.
The song is written from the perspective of a man who wants to sail to Jamaica to return to a girl he loves.
It was Jack Ely’s rendition that popularized the song, which became a huge hit.
After the investigation, FBI agents reportedly concluded, in a lengthy investigative report, that the song was “unintelligible at any speed”.
Despite hundreds of covers by artists including Otis Redding, the Beach Boys, and the Sonics, the Kingsmens’ version of Louie Louie remains the definitive recording.