Al Martino, the singer who played the Frank Sinatra-type role of Johnny Fontane in the film The Godfather, has died at the age of 82.

The Italian-American crooner was known for his hit songs Here in My Heart, Spanish Eyes, Can’t Help Falling in Love and Volare, in a career that spanned more than five decades.

He was No 1 in the first ever UK singles chart in 1952 with the song Here In My Heart, and kept the top spot for nine weeks.

Besides acting opposite Marlon Brando in the classic 1972 Mafia movie, Martino sang the film’s title score, I Have but One Heart (O Marenariello), also known as The Love Theme from The Godfather. His Fontane character is a singer and actor who is the godson of Don Vito Corleone, Brando’s Mafia boss character.

Martino was born in South Philadelphia as Alfred Cini, and worked as a bricklayer in his parents' masonry business as a young man. He served in the US Marines during the Second World War, and was wounded during the invasion of Iwo Jima.

Alfredo Cocozza, who became an international opera star under the stage name Mario Lanza, was one of Martino's childhood friends and after the war inspired him to try to forge a career in singing.

He moved to New York in 1948, and came to prominence after winning a television talent show, Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, with a rendition of Perry Como's hit song If.

Martino was on stage at the London Palladium when someone interrupted his set to tell him the news of his No 1. To celebrate he spent the evening at a party at the Dorchester Hotel, where he chatted to Winston Churchill, who told him the song was one of his favourites, and danced with Sinatra and Ava Gardner.

The resulting popularity propelled him to a record deal with Capitol Records, but his career took a setback when his contract was taken over by a Mafia-connected management team, which ordered Martino to pay $75,000 as a safeguard for its investment.

Martino made a down payment to ensure his family's safety, then fled to the UK where he continued to perform successfully for a time, headlining at the London Palladium.

It was not until 1958 that, thanks to the intervention of a family friend, Martino was allowed to return home and resume his recording career. It was an uphill struggle until 1963 when his hit I Love You Because paved the way for a comeback. He recorded Spanish Eyes in 1965, and it still remains one of the 50 most-played songs worldwide.

Jerry Blavat, a Philadelphia radio and television personality who dined with Martino and his wife on Monday night, said that his friend had appeared to be in fine shape and that he was shocked when he learnt of the singer’s death.

"He was the last of the show business legends," said Mr Blavat, who has played Martino’s songs on the radio for years. "There's nobody else. The last of the performers. A magnificent voice."

A longtime resident of Beverly Hills, California, Martino died at his childhood home in the Philadelphia suburb of Springfield, in Delaware County, according to Sandy Friedman, a spokesman. He did not mention the cause of death.

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