André Popp, French Composer of ‘Love Is Blue,’ Dies at 90

André Charles Jean Popp (19 February 1924 – 10 May 2014) was a French composer, arranger and screenwriter. 

Andre Popp worked almost exclusively with female singers during this period, preferably the Lolita types, such as Chantal Goya, but also with Françoise Hardy. "Love is Blue", a song Vicky Leandros performed at the Eurovision Song Contest 1967 on behalf of Luxembourg, also recorded by Claudine Longet, became internationally popular. In these recordings, Popp does not sacrifice the sophistication of his 1950s orchestrations, but rather than animate the songs, he seems to set the tone, the mood, painting a colorful picture. Sometimes there are silky, smooth strings; often there is harpsichord and oboe and flute; elsewhere adventurous brassy fanfares; occasionally an ethereal soprano chorus; always some magical musical final touch, like the faint, quavering harmonica in "Manchester et Liverpool". Marie Laforêt's voice fit perfectly in André Popp's 1960s soundscapes and he created more of them for her than for her contemporaries. Popp died at his apartment in the Paris suburb of Puteaux on 10 May 2014. - Wikipedia

Pop crooner of the 50's, Jerry Vale, has died

Jerry Vale, a pop crooner known for his velvety voice and the classic love songs he recorded in the 1950s and early ’60s, died on Sunday, 18 MAY 2014, at his home in Palm Desert, Calif. He was 83.
NYTimes Obit | Wikipedia Jerry Vale (born Genaro Louis Vitaliano; July 8, 1930 – May 18, 2014) was an American singer and actor.