Trini Lopez, singer and Dirty Dozen actor, dies of coronavirus at 83

Mexican-American singer Trini Lopez, who had a hit in 1963 with his version of If I Had A Hammer and played one of The Dirty Dozen, has died at 83.

Lopez, a skilled guitarist, was accompanied by Buddy Holly and Frank Sinatra and designed two instruments for the Gibson Guitar Corporation.

Lopez died in Palm Springs, California, of coronavirus complications.

Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters was one of the tributes, saying he had left “a wonderful musical legacy”.

He called his own Trini Lopez guitar his ‘most appreciated possession’ and said it was “the sound of the Foo Fighters from day one”.

Born in Dallas to Mexican parents in 1937, Lopez formed his first band at the age of 15. He was tracked down by Holly, who recommended him to his producer Norman Petty.

Moving west, Lopez got a regular performance playing at PJ’s nightclub in western Hollywood. There he caught the eye of Sinatra, who drew him on his record label and encouraged him to act.

His debut live album, Trini Lopez by PJ’s, was released in 1963 and featured his version of Pete Seeger’s If I Had A Hammer. The song made it to number three in the US and number four in the United Kingdom, and sold more than a million copies.

In 1966, Lopez was cast in The Dirty Dozen, a film about villains who were sent on a suicide mission during World War II.

But he happened to be with director Robert Aldrich and was written out of the film. His character, Pedro Jiminez, dies off-screen after a jump from a parachute.

Lopez recorded more than 60 albums and was a popular headliner in Las Vegas. He was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2003 and was honored at the Las Vegas Walk of Stars in 2008.

Singer Pat Boone remembers Lopez as “a great man and wonderful friend”. He wrote on Facebook: “We both knew we were blessed to create a good life by doing what we loved – making others happy!”

Business partner and musician Joe Chavira said he and Lopez had just finished recording a song to raise money for food banks during the Covid-19 pandemic. “And here he dies from something he tried to fight,” Chavira told the Associated Press.

A documentary about his life, titled My Name is Lopez, is currently nearing completion.

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