by Shannonn Kelly
07:34AM, EST, October 14, 2009

Italian-American singer and actor Al Martino, born Alfred Cini, died yesterday at his childhood home in Springfield, PA. He was 82.

A former bricklayer, to most film buffs he’s known better as wedding singer Johnny Fontane, a role inspired by Frank Sinatra, in the 1972 film The Godfather. Martino sings the film’s title theme song, “Speak Softly Love“.

His character in the Francis Ford Coppola classic, which starred Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, is a singer and occasional actor and the godson of Brando’s mafia boss character, Don Vito Corleone.

Despite his brush with the acting profession, Martino was best known as a jazz crooner. His hits included Spanish Eyes, Can’t Help Falling in Love, I Love You Because and Volare.

Here in My Heart took the top spot in the UK when the New Musical Express introduced its chart in November 1952, and stayed there for nine weeks.

Though 50 years have passed, only six singles have stayed at No 1 for longer, most notably Everything I Do (I Do It for You) by Canadian soft-rocker Bryan Adams, which topped the charts for 16 weeks. Here in My Heart remained his only UK No 1 hit.

Martino’s chart career in the US was stalled by the growth of rock’n'roll in the late 1950s, but he returned during the 1960s with a run of Billboard hits.

In the U.S., Martino had eleven Top 40 hits in the Billboard pop singles chart in the 1960s and 1970s, with 1963’s I Love You Because (#3) and 1964’s I Love You More and More Every Day (#9) both reaching the Top Ten. He also sang the title song for the film, Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964).

The last time Martino was on the music charts came in 1973, with a re-release of Spanish Eyes. In the 1980s he left his record company and continued to perform on the club circuit. His most recent album, Style, was made nine years ago.

Martino was one of a number of south Philadelphia area-born singers of that era, that included Bobby Rydell, Fabian and Frankie Avalon.