The Tokens singer Philip Margo has died.
The star, best known for singing The Lion Sleeps Tonight, died in a Los Angeles hospital on Saturday after suffering a stroke. He was 79.
Philip was a longtime member of American doo-wop vocal group, which topped the US charts with the track in ‘61 for three weeks.
Despite its massive success, the band have admitted they didn’t have much confidence in the record before releasing it.
“We were embarrassed by it and tried to convince Hugo [Peretti] and Luigi [Creatore] not to release it,” he said.
“They said it would be a big record, and it was going out.”
Their other songs include I Hear Trumpets Blow and Tonight I Fell in Love.
Philip is survived by his wife, Abbie S Margo, sons Noah and Joshua and daughter Neely S Irwin, and eight grandchildren.
