Slim Whitman Dead at 89

Slim Whitman, the singer known for the 1952 hit "Indian Love Call," died Wednesday (June 19) in Jacksonville, Fla. He was 89. Heart failure was the official cause of death.

The sweeping falsetto vocals of "Indian Love Call" helped the single sell 1 million copies, as well as reach No. 2 on the country chart, says CMT news.

In addition, the single "Rose Marie" spent 11 weeks at No. 1 in England and reached the Top 5 on the country chart in 1954. Whitman became a member of the Grand Ole Opry cast in 1955. Between 1952 and 1954, Whitman had eight Top 10 hits for Imperial Records. He landed his last Top 10 singles in 1971 with "Guess Who" and "Something Beautiful (To Remember)."

Born as Otis Dewey Whitman, Jr., the singer grew up in the Tampa, Florida area.