Lou Christie, the locally born singer who in 1966 topped the pop charts with “Lightnin’ Strikes,” died Wednesday. He was 82.

Born Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco in Crescent, Christie began singing while still a student at Moon Area High School. Inspired by fellow Pittsburgh vocal groups such as The Skyliners, he began releasing solo albums in the early 1960s.

He sent 12 songs to the Hot 100, including the top-10 hits “I’m Gonna Make You Mine” and “Two Faces Have I.” He also spent two years touring the country with Dick Clark’s “Caravan of Stars,” until “Lightnin’ Strikes” made him a draw on his own.

Christie married Francesca Winfield, a former Miss United Kingdom, in 1971. He spent much of the rest of his life splitting time between Pittsburgh and London, frequently returning to his hometown to appear in local reunions of golden-era rock and pop stars.

His family announced his death on Facebook, noting that he had passed after “a brief illness.”