Bobby Rydell, US pop idol of the early 1960s, dies aged 79

Singer, drummer and actor had five US Top 10 hits, and inspired the Beatles to write She Loves You

Bobby Rydell, who enjoyed numerous US hits during the teen pop craze of the early 1960s, has died aged 79. He suffered complications from pneumonia, and died in hospital in his native Philadelphia.

With songs of decorous romance sung in his clean, hearty voice, Rydell reached the US Top 10 five times - with We Got Love, Swingin' School, his version of the standard Volare, Wild One (also a UK Top 10 hit) and Forget Him. The latter is believed to be the inspiration for the Beatles' She Loves You after Paul McCartney said the song was inspired by an unnamed Rydell number.